海角大神

If President Obama and congressional Democrats are going to make headway on the gun violence proposals Vice President Joe Biden is set to deliver to the president on Tuesday, their strategy will probably look a lot like gun-owning Rep. Mike Thompson 鈥� and move with the energy and purpose of political cage fighter Rahm Emanuel.

Representative Thompson (D) of California remembers where he was on Dec. 14, the day of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.聽He was in a duck blind, back home in his Napa Valley district.

鈥淔ederal law prohibits me from having more than three shells in my shotgun,鈥� Thompson said Monday at the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP).聽鈥淪o federal law provides more protection for the ducks than it does鈥� for people, he said, referring to ammunition magazines that can hold 30 or more bullets.

Thompson, chairman of a Democratic committee charged with making recommendations for new 鈥済un violence prevention鈥� measures (Democrats want no part of being pro-鈥済un control鈥�), is emblematic of the central plank of Democrats鈥� strategic approach to gun control: put on a friendly face.

Both Thompson and Mr. Biden, the leader of the president鈥檚 own task force, are lifelong gun owners who are quick to point out that no, the federal government is absolutely not coming to seize your arms.

鈥淲e鈥檙e on a little different footing than ever before on this subject,鈥� said Thompson, referring to a 2008 US Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling affirming Americans鈥� ability to possess guns. 鈥淎merican citizens have a right to own firearms. So the idea that one side believes that we should take all the guns, it鈥檚 not part of the discussion. And the other side thinks we are trying to get all the guns, that鈥檚 not either.鈥�

But a genteel sales pitch will get you only so far.

That鈥檚 where Chicago Mayor Emanuel, Mr. Obama鈥檚 former White House chief of staff, comes in. Emanuel is a legislative veteran, the point man for President Bill Clinton鈥檚 successful gun legislation in the mid-1990s and the man who put the kibosh on a potential battle over guns in Obama鈥檚 first term.

This time around, Emanuel, who spoke at CAP with Thompson, says Democrats need to take a half-dozen discrete steps to succeed.

First, they need to frame the changes they seek 鈥� whether background checks on all gun sales or a limit on the sale of assault weapons 鈥� as 鈥渁ll about criminal access鈥� to firearms, Emanuel said Monday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about gun control; it鈥檚 about criminal access to guns. That changes the debate.鈥�

Next, Democrats need to take a page out of Mr. Clinton鈥檚 playbook and keep 鈥渢he police chief and the law enforcement community front and center.鈥� Highlighting law enforcement support for the plan, as , helped remove the issue from the partisan terrain of gun rights versus gun control and placed it into an argument about policy and community safety.

Third, Emanuel emphasized that Democrats should make sure Americans get a good look at assault weapons and their associated bullet magazines, restrictions on which are likely to be the most controversial piece of the White House鈥檚 policy recommendations.

There鈥檚 鈥渁 difference between the magazine that holds 10 [bullets] and magazine that holds 20 or 30,鈥� Emanuel said. And there鈥檚 鈥渁 lot of different type of damage done鈥� with the latter.

Then, Emanuel鈥檚 puzzle involves Democrats sticking up for one another come election season: They need to be willing to go to the wall for members in districts with more difficult gun politics.

鈥淚f the person is going to take the vote,鈥� he said, reflecting on Democratic losses in the 1994 congressional elections that many attribute to voting for the president鈥檚 assault weapons ban, 鈥渄on鈥檛 walk away from them come the political season.鈥�

Moreover, the president would be wise to act on smaller but still controversial issues through executive order when possible, Emanuel advised. Obama has said he will weigh which issues could be handled through executive decisionmaking, a prospect that has infuriated congressional Republicans who believe the president too-frequently sidesteps Capitol Hill鈥檚 authority.

鈥淧ush the limit on [executive action],鈥� Emanuel said. 鈥淐lear the table, man. Don鈥檛 allow a side issue to derail these things. [The eventual legislation] is going to be perilous enough.鈥�

With that strategy in place, Democrats should put Republicans into a position similar to that of the fiscal cliff fight: a Senate-passed bill on their doorstep and the president using his political moxie to turn up the heat.

鈥淕et it done [in the Senate] and then clear the decks and put the ultimate pressure on the House,鈥� Emanuel said. 鈥淧ut the burner up.鈥�