What’s Barack Obama up against in taking back the most dangerous firearms from US citizens? Check out this latest ad from the National Rifle Association …

Obama’s kids are protected by armed guards but he’s against placing them in schools, the NRA argues. The White House calls the ad “repugnant and cowardly”. No kidding.

But that’s what the President faces. Dangerous threats. Blind irrationality. Staunch ideology and historical precedent.

Obama’s new 32-point plan on gun control might seem logical to Australians, who have witnessed a sharp decline in gun violence since the Port Arthur massacre. But as Guy Rundle writes today, the President will find himself at war with the Republican-dominated House when he tries to write his proposals into law.

It’s a brave attempt which, if successful, would stand as one of Obama’s greatest and most enduring legacies from two terms in the Oval Office. But he’ll have to run through the line of fire first.