Obama supported the U.S. Sentencing Commission's move this year to reduce the sentences of about 20,000 federal inmates imprisoned for dealing crack cocaine. McCain opposed the early release.
Obama also supports restoring cuts in federal aid to state and local government for putting more cops on the street under a program started in the Clinton administration. McCain has indicated more cautious support for community-oriented policing and has said he wants to make sure federal dollars are spent effectively.
McCain opposes a federal ban on assault weapons that Obama backs.
But McCain has been vilified by the gun lobby on occasion. He has supported federal legislation requiring background checks for people who buy firearms at gun shows, and the sharing of federal data about guns used in crimes with state and local law enforcement.
In a recent speech to the National Rifle Assn., McCain portrayed himself as a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. But his past statements show that he thinks that some NRA positions "actually threaten the interests of law enforcement," said Dennis Henigan, legal director of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. "He was conspicuously silent on those when he spoke to the gun lobby."
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rick.schmitt@latimes.com
