A missed opportunity

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here’s what President Barack Obama said to open his State of the Union message Tuesday night:

“And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber and pray for the health of our colleague — and our friend — Gabby Giffords.”

Obama noted that the wounding of Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, reminded Americans that we all share common purpose. A fine point to make.

But here’s another point Obama should have made: “And so, my fellow Americans, we need to put in place sensible laws to help honor Gabby’s sacrifice. That’s why I support the idea of limiting the sale of extended magazines for handguns.”

No reasonable person is suggesting a ban on weapons. They are suggesting a ban of a particular accessory to a weapon — the 30-round magazine allegedly used by Jared Loughner to kill six people and injure 13 others in Tucson on Jan. 8. In a matter of seconds, the shooter squeezed off all those rounds and was attempting to load another large magazine when subdued.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, was critical of the president’s comments about the dreams of the 9-year-old killed in Tucson “without talking about the gun violence that destroyed those dreams.” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Obama “missed an opportunity.”