It is worth pointing out the irony that the Republican Party’s behavior over the past four years probably played a big role in President Obama’s decision to make a big push for gun control. One of the overriding goals of Obama seems to have been accomplishing big pieces of legislation in a “bipartisan” way. Obama didn’t just want to end “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” which he could have done day one with an executive order, he wanted to end it with a bipartisan bill. Obama didn’t just want health care reform, which he could have quickly passed with reconciliation, he wanted 80 votes for it in the Senate.