In his remarks after the Charleston church massacre, President Obama displayed his leadership by discussing the nation’s easy access to guns in relationship to the number of mass shootings in the United States.
Video:
https://youtu.be/JSIbPszm3w8?t=59m
The President said:
We don’t have all of the facts, but we do know once again that innocent people were killed in part because somebody who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. Now’s the time for mourning and for healing, but let’s be clear, at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other countries it doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency, and it is in our power to do something about it.
I say that recognizing that the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now, but it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it, and at some point it is going to be important for the American people to come to grips with it. And for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively.
Mark Knoller of CBS Radio who is the unofficial statistician of the presidency tweeted:
By my count, this will be at least the 14th time Pres Obama has made a statement on a shooting attack.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 18, 2015
Fourteen times in less than seven years means that more than twice a year President Obama has had to make a statement about a shooting attack. Contrary to what Republicans will say, bringing up the link between easy gun access and mass shootings is not politicizing a tragedy. It is common sense. Discussing gun access is also not the same as taking guns away from people.
There is a middle ground, which the NRA and Republicans never want to talk about. The alleged shooter in Charleston had an arrest record, yet he had no trouble getting his hands on a gun. Keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people and criminals should be a goal of everyone in this country.
The right will freak out and claim that Obama is coming for their guns, and the President was correct, political forces in D.C. will prevent anything from changing, but the discussion is important. When innocent children died in Sandy Hook, nothing changed. When worshippers are gunned down at a prayer meeting, it is likely that nothing will change, but the best way to make sure that nothing changes is to shut down the discussion.
President Obama is taking a stand and opening the discussion. It is time for the rest of the country to make their voices heard.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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