Obama fires the opening shot
奥巴马打响美国控抢对策的第一枪
Jan 16th 2013, 22:50 by Economist.com | NEW YORK
GRACE MCDONNELL’S parents gave one of her paintings to Barack Obama. The seven-year-old, who dreamed of being a painter, was shot dead in her classroom last month. The picture now hangs in the president’s study as a reminder to act. Even in a country as accustomed to gun violence as America, the murder of 26 people, including 20 children, in a Newtown, Connecticut school last month was especially shocking. On that day a tearful Mr Obama said serious action was needed to prevent any more tragedies. On January 16th Mr Obama, along with Vice-President Joe Biden, who headed the president’s gun task-force, unveiled the most sweeping gun-control proposals Washington, DC has seen for two decades. Whether they will be implemented or make much difference is another matter.
格蕾丝-麦克唐娜（音译）的父母送给奥巴马一副由格蕾丝作的画。这个曾经梦想成为画家的7岁小女孩于上个月在其教室被枪杀。这幅画现挂在总统的书房，提醒人们采取行动。甚至是枪支暴力泛滥的美国，上个月在纽镇发生的康尼狄格州校园枪击惨案造成26人丧生，其中包括20名小孩，这一事件震惊世界。奥巴马在惨案发生这一天含泪发表讲话，表示要采取行动，阻止类似悲剧再次发生。1月16日，奥巴马和负责限枪事宜的副总统乔-拜登在白宫公布二十年来最为全面的枪支限制提案，这些对策能否付诸实施或带来多大改观得另当别论。
The president’s plan was inspired not just by the children killed in Newtown, but by the more than 30,000 deaths caused by guns every year. Mr Obama announced 23 executive orders, which do not need congressional approval. These include strengthening the system of background checks (which is notoriously ineffective) and providing more support to law-enforcement agencies. Another order seeks to make schools safer by ensuring that each one has an emergency management plan (most of them, including the Newton one, already do).
纽镇发生的儿童枪击事件以及每年有超过3万人死亡枪支泛滥的现状促使奥巴马制定这一计划。奥巴马公布了无需国会批准的23项行政法令。其内容包括加强购枪背景检查体系（这体系的办事效率低下，人尽皆知）和加大对执法机构的投入。另一法令是加强学校安保，确保每一个学校有紧急事务管理计划（许多学校，包括纽镇所在的小学，现已有该计划）。
But Mr Obama will need congressional backing for the main part of his plan: a proposal to renew an assault-weapons ban that went into effect in 1994 but expired ten years later. The ban would include, as it did back in 1994, a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, containing more than ten rounds. The trouble is that ban, especially the magazine part of it, proved impossible to enforce.
但是奥巴马需要国会的支持他计划中的主要部分：恢复1994年生效并于2004年到期的禁止攻击性武器方案。这一禁令包括1994年实行禁止拥有超过10发高性能供弹装置的规定。困难的是，这一禁令，尤其有关弹药方面，不可能实施。
States, meanwhile, have jumped the gun. Andrew Cuomo, New York’s governor and a gun-owner, signed the NY Safe Act on January 15th. The state, which already had strong gun laws, has now banned military-style assault weapons, and has mandated universal background checks, including on buyers of ammunition. Martin O’Malley, Maryland’s governor, is about to introduce a sweeping gun-control package which echoes many of New York’s measures. Colorado’s governor has called for background checks for private gun sales, which are currently exempt. Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts, wants to limit gun sales to one a month. Of course, one can do quite a lot of damage with one gun a month.
同时，很多州已经开始提前行动了。1月15日，纽约州长兼枪支业主安德鲁-库摩（音译）签署了《纽约安全法案》。纽约州早已有严格的枪支法律，现已禁止使用军事化攻击性武器，以及授权进行包括弹药购买者的全面背景检查。马里兰州长马丁-奥马莱（音译）效仿纽约州实行的许多措施，即将采取全面控抢计划。科罗拉多州长提倡对目前豁免的私人枪支销售进行背景调查。马萨诸塞州长德瓦尔-帕特奈克（音译）想要限制每人每月只能买一支枪。当然，就算是一个月一支枪还是可以造成巨大破坏。
Cities, too, are taking a stand. Since the Newtown shooting, more than 100 more mayors have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the 800-strong coalition founded by Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor.
许多城市也表明立场。自从纽镇的枪击事件以来，又有100多位市长参与了纽约市长迈克尔”布隆伯格发起的 “反对非法枪支”这一由800位市长组成的强大联盟。
Welcome as these state and city actions are, without federal backup they are not much use. They may also be vulnerable to recision by the Supreme Court. Would-be killers need only cross state lines to places with weak gun laws to get access to weapons. Nor is it clear whether the president’s plan would have prevented the Newtown massacre. There, the shooter did not have a background check; he used his mother’s guns.
尽管这些州和市采取的行动受到欢迎，但没有联邦政府的支持，也不会有多大成效。美国最高法院很有可能废除这些措施。潜在杀手只需越过州界限，到枪支管控不严格的地方就能得到武器。总统公布的计划能否避免类似纽镇枪杀杀事件尚不明朗。因为在该事件中，枪击凶手使用其母亲的枪，本人并没有受到背景调查。
Mr Obama faces steep opposition, and not just from congressional opponents: even his fellow Democrat, Harry Reid, the majority leader of the Senate, has indicated that the assault-weapons ban will be a hard sell. While states like New York and California are moving to strengthen gun laws, other states are doing the opposite. Lawmakers in Arizona and Texas, for instance, intend to introduce bills that would loosen gun restrictions. A Kentucky sheriff has said he will not enforce any new gun laws that he deems unconstitutional.
奥巴马面对居高不下的反对意见，不仅仅是国会共和党的反对：其民主党派人士兼参议院多数党领袖哈里-瑞特（音译）指出这一禁止攻击性武器法令如同“强买强卖”。尽管很多州如纽约州和加利福尼亚州正加强枪支法律，但他州的做法却相反。例如，亚利桑那州和德克萨斯州的立法者打算推行放松枪支限制的法案。肯塔基州的一位地方司法官称他不会实施任何新的违反宪法的枪支法律。
Most shockingly, gun sales have soared in recent weeks. In the month since the Newtown shooting 250,000 more people have joined the National Rifle Association, which has vowed to oppose the ban. The group is getting so cocky that it launched a free shooting app this week. For an extra 99 cents, players can use a MK-11 sniper rifle to shoot coffin-shaped targets.
最让人震惊的是，枪支销售量在最近几周急剧上升。自纽镇枪击事件以来，已有25万多人加入了誓言反对这一禁令的美国步枪协会，该协会表现越来越“嚣张”，在这周推行了一个免费射击应用游戏。玩家只要支付额外的99美分，就可以使用MK-11狙击步枪射击棺材型目标。