--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans have seen this before. In June…" description: "\"“Americans have seen this before. In June 2008, then Senator Barack Obama assured everyone, “I have said consistently that I believe that the Second Am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_americans-have-seen-this-before-in-june_2391380.png" --- # Americans have seen this before. In June 2008, then… ![“Americans have seen this before. In June 2008, then Senator Barack Obama assured everyone, “I have said consistently that I believe that the Second Amendment is an individual right, and that was the essential decision that the Supreme Court came down on.”7 But just months earlier, in February…” quote by John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_americans-have-seen-this-before-in-june_2391380.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_americans-have-seen-this-before-in-june_2391380.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_americans-have-seen-this-before-in-june_2391380.png) > ““Americans have seen this before. In June 2008, then Senator Barack Obama assured everyone, “I have said consistently that I believe that the Second Amendment is an individual right, and that was the essential decision that the Supreme Court came down on.”7 But just months earlier, in February 2008, Obama came out in support of D.C.’s handgun ban.8 And in April of that year, Obama said of Americans, “they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion.”” [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights perceived inconsistency in political statements about gun rights, suggesting a shift in stance over time. **In simple terms:** It points out a possible change in a politician’s view on guns. Key Takeaway Check for consistency in political messaging. Themes politics gun rights consistency Mood skeptical analytical Type political controversial When to use this quote - election campaigns - legislative debates - public opinion surveys - media analysis Key Concepts public policy political rhetoric constitutional interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How do politicians reconcile evolving views with public expectations? - What evidence supports a genuine change versus strategic positioning? A Different Perspective The context may reflect nuanced policy positions rather than outright contradiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendment/) [Gun ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun-ban/) [Handgun ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handgun-ban/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Second amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-amendment/) ## Related quotes > [The people have a right to keep and bear arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-henry/the-people-have-a-right-to-keep-and-bear-arms/) [Patrick Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-henry/) > [ ... immediately call on Congress to pass far-reaching industry regulation like the Firearms Safety and Consumer Protection Act ... \[which\] would give the Treasury… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-sugarmann/immediately-call-on-congress-to-pass-far-reaching-industry-regulation/) [Josh Sugarmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-sugarmann/) > [Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic - purely symbolic - move in that direction. Its only real justification is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/passing-a-law-like-the-assault-weapons-ban-is-a-symbolic-purely/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [There is no reason for anyone in the country, for anyone except a police officer or a military person, to buy, to own, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gartner/there-is-no-reason-for-anyone-in-the-country-for-anyone-except-a/) [Michael Gartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gartner/) > [ My guess \[is\] . . . that the great majority of Americans are saying they favor gun control when they really mean gun banishment.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/my-guess-is-that-the-great-majority-of-americans-are-saying-they/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) > [A handgun ban is not realistically enforceable. Confiscating guns would require house-to-house searches and alienate the very individuals whose compliance is essential to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kates/a-handgun-ban-is-not-realistically-enforceable-confiscating-guns/) [Don Kates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kates/) > [We have to start with a ban on the manufacturing and import of handguns. From there we register the guns which are currently owned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-owens/we-have-to-start-with-a-ban-on-the-manufacturing-and-import-of/) [Major Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-owens/) > [Gun bans don't disarm criminals, gun bans attract them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-f-mondale/gun-bans-don-t-disarm-criminals-gun-bans-attract-them/) [Walter F. Mondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-f-mondale/) > [ When the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British parliament was advised by an artful man \[Sir William Keith\], who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/when-the-resolution-of-enslaving-america-was-formed-in-great-britain/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/that-the-said-constitution-shall-never-be-construed-to-authorize/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion... in private self-defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/arms-in-the-hands-of-citizens-may-be-used-at-individual-discretion-in/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [In the past, it's been possible to say that calls for repeal of the Second Amendment or widespread gun bans and confiscation were crackpot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-katharine-ham/in-the-past-it-s-been-possible-to-say-that-calls-for-repeal-of-the/) [Mary Katharine Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-katharine-ham/) > [If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/if-i-could-have-gotten-51-votes-in-the-senate-of-the-united-states/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [To disarm the people... was the best and most effectual way to enslave them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-was-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/a-well-regulated-militia-being-necessary-to-the-security-of-a-free/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by John R. Lott Jr > [“For all the emphasis on assault weapons, 68 percent of mass public shootings did not involve any long guns (Figure 2). Eighty-four percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/for-all-the-emphasis-on-assault-weapons-68-percent-of-mass-public/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“As to the “super destructive .50-caliber sniper rifle,” not only does the New York Times editorial get the law wrong, but it somehow neglects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/as-to-the-super-destructive-50-caliber-sniper-rifle-not-only-does-the/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“There is another real cost to linking gun violence with mental illness. Dr. Renee Binder, President of the American Psychiatric Association and herself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/there-is-another-real-cost-to-linking-gun-violence-with-mental/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“When President Obama addressed the country on January 5, 2016, about his latest push for gun control, Bloomberg-funded research provided the “facts” that Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/when-president-obama-addressed-the-country-on-january-5-2016-about/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“None of these shootings, nor others that the president has mentioned, would have been stopped if background checks on private transfers had been required.4…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/none-of-these-shootings-nor-others-that-the-president-has-mentioned/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [Embarrassingly for Obama, it appeared that his administration had jumped the gun on banning the bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/embarrassingly-for-obama-it-appeared-that-his-administration-had/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“3.​Background checks as de facto registration. It is not just other countries that use gun registries as a tool for mass confiscation. People in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/3-background-checks-as-de-facto-registration-it-is-not-just-other/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“Of course, the New York Times will never run a news article on studies that find that guns save lives. Even when they write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/of-course-the-new-york-times-will-never-run-a-news-article-on-studies/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“In my third edition of More Guns, Less Crime, I provided the first published, peer-reviewed, nationwide study on Stand Your Ground laws. I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/in-my-third-edition-of-more-guns-less-crime-i-provided-the-first/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“The infamous 2015 Charleston, South Carolina church shooting was originally going to be a college shooting. But Dylann Roof changed plans after realizing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/the-infamous-2015-charleston-south-carolina-church-shooting-was/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“After the phone call from Daley, the University of Chicago presented me with my two termination options. I wrote back to Dean Fischel—whom I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/after-the-phone-call-from-daley-the-university-of-chicago-presented/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“The Army psychiatrist who last saw Ivan Lopez found no “sign of likely violence, either to himself or to others.”42 James Holmes’s psychiatrist warned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/the-army-psychiatrist-who-last-saw-ivan-lopez-found-no-sign-of-likely/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“Of the four worst K-12 school shootings in history, three have occurred in Europe. Germany was host to two of these—one in 2002 at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/of-the-four-worst-k-12-school-shootings-in-history-three-have/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [ “Former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard wrote in the New York Times in 2013, “\[T\]here is a wide consensus that our 1996 reforms… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/former-prime-minister-of-australia-john-howard-wrote-in-the-new-york/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“Democrats are unwilling to admit that their gun control regulations are disarming poor Americans. President Obama characterizes Voter ID laws that offer free IDs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/democrats-are-unwilling-to-admit-that-their-gun-control-regulations/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) [Explore all 71 John R. Lott Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) ## More Amendment quotes > [There are a lot of people who want to retain the Eighth Amendment - I don't agree with that view myself - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-want-to-retain-the-eighth-amendment-i/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [“Let's just make this easy. I'm in favor of a Constitutional amendment that would read something like this: 'Neither the federal government, nor any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/let-s-just-make-this-easy-i-m-in-favor-of-a-constitutional-amendment/) [Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/) > [If you reduce the guns and the ammo, you'll reduce the murders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/if-you-reduce-the-guns-and-the-ammo-you-ll-reduce-the-murders/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/) Daniel D. Polsby > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Guns aren't the problem; sick people are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/guns-aren-t-the-problem-sick-people-are/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/) [P. J. 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I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-we-have-two-conflicting-traditions-in-this-country-i-think-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Country lyrics often reference the NRA and firearms ownership as a way of life. Artists such as John Rich, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/country-lyrics-often-reference-the-nra-and-firearms-ownership-as-a/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [“People who have attended Concealed Carry classes, and those already licensed, typically seem to demonstrate a higher degree of courtesy, responsibility and respect. Interestingly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-behr/people-who-have-attended-concealed-carry-classes-and-those-already/) [Gary Behr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-behr/) [Browse all 2,041 Amendment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Americans have seen this before. In June 2008, then Senator Barack Obama assured everyone, “I have said consistently that I believe that the Second Amendment is an individual right, and that was the essential decision that the Supreme Court came down on.”7 But just months earlier, in February 2008, Obama came out in support of D.C.’s handgun ban.8 And in April of that year, Obama said of Americans, “they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John R. 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