So the President Gave a Press Conference Yesterday...

And he talked about deficit reduction, lifting the debt ceiling, and gun reform. The full transcript is here. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the presser: He was more conservative on the economy than I wish he'd be, and talked some more about his favorite fantasy in which "common sense prevails" so that we can come to "bipartisan solutions," but I thought this bit on gun reform was very good:

I'm confident that there are some steps that we can take that don't require legislation and that are within my authority as president. And where you get a step that has the opportunity to reduce the possibility of gun violence, then I want to go ahead and take it.

...I think, for example, how we are gathering data, for example, on guns that fall into the hands of criminals and how we track that more effectively -- there may be some steps that we can take administratively, as opposed -- through legislation.

As far as people lining up and purchasing more guns, you know, I think that we've seen for some time now that those who oppose any common-sense gun control or gun safety measures have a pretty effective way of ginning up fear on the part of gun owners that somehow the federal government's about to take all your guns away. And you know, that -- there's probably an economic element to that. It obviously is good for business.

But I think that, you know, those of us who look at this problem have repeatedly said that responsible gun owners, people who have a gun for protection, for hunting, for sportsmanship -- they don't have anything to worry about. The issue here is not whether or not we believe in the Second Amendment.

The issue is, are there some sensible steps that we can take to make sure that somebody like the individual in Newtown can't walk into a school and gun down a bunch of children in a -- in a shockingly rapid fashion? And surely we can do something about that.

And -- but -- you know, but -- but part of the challenge that, you know, we confront is, is that even the sight -- slightest hint of some sensible, responsible legislation in this area stands this notion that somehow here it comes and that everybody's guns are going to be taken away.

It's unfortunate, but that's the case, and if you look at -- over the first four years of my administration, we've tried to tighten up and enforce some of the laws that were already on the books. But it'd be pretty hard to argue that somehow gun owners have had their rights infringed.

I really love that the President called out the fearmongering of the gun industry and straightforwardly said that they're manufacturing paranoia because it's "good for business." Right on.