It’s his biggest frustration
Obama admits US gun laws are his ‘biggest frustration
President Barack Obama has admitted that his failure to pass “common sense gun safety laws” in the US is the greatest frustration of his presidency.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Obama said it was “distressing” not to have made progress on the issue “even in the face of repeated mass killings”.
He vowed to keep trying, but the BBC’s North America editor Jon Sopel said the president did not sound very confident.
His problem is that the legislation he wants would mostly restrict law abiding citizens from purchasing guns. It would really not make a dent in the number of people who have guns illegally and use them. He, like other Democrats, wants to deny citizens the use of firearms for protection, even as he surrounds himself with a large number of armed people for his protection.
Most of the legislative proposals from Obama and Democrats will simply harm the law abiding citizens who purchase firearms, and wouldn’t affect the criminal elements running around the streets of liberal cities in the least.
However, Mr Obama said race relations had improved during his presidency.
Except, most polls, including a just released poll, say the opposite.
But with just 18 months left in power, he said gun control was the area where he has been “most frustrated and most stymied” since coming to power in 2009.
“If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it’s less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it’s in the tens of thousands,” Mr Obama said.
By percentage, the major portion occurs in Democrat cities, and amongst the Black population. Murder and firing a gun at another person is already illegal. Will these criminals suddenly decide to follow the law? Of course not. But, Dem gun control pushes would disarm the people who need the guns for protection from the rampant criminality in Liberal cities.
Of course, Obama doesn’t seem too concerned with the tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens that ICE has released back on to the streets, rather than deporting them. He wasn’t concerned enough to pick up the phone to call the family of Kathryn Steinle, killed by an illegal alien with an illegal gun. Nor is he concerned about Iran getting nuclear weapons at the end of his short term deal. Nor Iran increasing it’s support for terrorists once it becomes flush with cash from the removal of sanctions.
Hey, remember how Obama became so upset after Operation Fast And Furious came to light, where people who work for him ran guns into Mexico, lost track of them, never bothered informing the Mexican government, and hundreds have been killed and wounded, including children? Oh, right, he was upset that Republicans wanted F&F investigated, and did all he could to stonewall investigations.
What stymies our esteemed President is that wicked old Constitution — written by slaveowners! — which holds that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. If he were actually honest about it, he would get some compliant congressman to introduce a constitutional amendment similar to this proposal:
Let’s see just how far it actually gets in Congress, where a 2/3 majority of both Houses is required to send it to the states, where 3/4 of them must ratify it to amend the Constitution.
10000 ten thousand Americans are killed each year
Dana do you think that is too much? too little? or just about the right number?
LA just had another theater shooting
. Do you think that anything should be done to try and stop another from happening? Or is this just the downside of the 2nd Amendment?
Would your interpretation of the 2nd Amendment also allow for the carrying of other “arms” such as suicide belts or Claymore mines? Under the current laws machine guns must carry a special expensive Class 3 license, do you think that this is unconstitutional?
33,000 gun deaths a year in the US is the price we pay for our 2nd Amendment. Approximately 11,000 murders, 21,000 suicides, 1000 accidental shootings.
The gun selling industry fights any and all restrictions – armor piercing bullets, 100 round magazines, background checks and on and on. The Constitution is not a suicide pact, but the Supreme Court – who interpret our Constitution – have made it clear repeatedly that Americans have the right to firearms, but there are some legal limits that have passed the test of the Supreme Court, e.g., sawed-off shotguns.
@Jeffery
So if we were to outlaw guns do you think there would be no guns involved in crime?
Lets look at the FBI statistics on violent crime.
1994 saw 1,857,670 violent crimes. 23,336 homicides and manslaughter.
2013 saw 1,163,146 violent crimes. 14,196 homicides and manslaughter.
IF guns are even more prevalent in our society then they were in 1994…what can be attributed to the drastic decrease in all crimes across the board?
Would it not be that an armed society would drastically prevent other criminals from perpetrating crime because of the fear of retaliation by an armed victim?
Additionally you seem willing to alter constitutional rights in order to chase a theory or a hunch….that hunch meaning that eliminating guns from America would lead to a drastic reduction in murder/suicide.
I would put forward the theory that if guns were eliminated from America that we would have the same situtation we had during prohibition and that gun deaths might decrease marginally but what would transpire is that an unarmed country with a violent nature would find itself in the midst of a crime wave unprecedented in American History.
While gun related deaths would decrease obviously the amount of rapes, burglaries and various other crimes would escalate out of control with criminals understanding that breaking into a home or getting in a fight at a night club is going to guarantee that there are no retalitory guns showing up in his/her face.
I would also surmise that suicides would not decrease much at all given the fact that there are so many ways to off yourself that a gun is just a convience not a necessity.
Liam a gun makes it very easy and quick to kill a human being that is exactly why it is used. Actually the rate of ownership of guns has gone down fewer households report having one tahn in the 1970s it was as high as 50%in 1994. while now only 32% live in a household that has a gun. http://www.newsweek.com/us-gun-ownership-declines-312822
The states that have the highest rates of gun ownership also have the highest rates of gun violence. AK and LA being 1/2
Liam we have fewer households with guns and going along with that we have a decrease in crime and gun violence. I “surmise” from these facts that the fewer guns we have the safer we will become.
John asked:
And here we go with the expected silliness from the left. The truth is obvious: gun control laws do not stop criminals! Gun control laws only stop those people who do something really radical like obey the law.
But, hey, I’ve shown you the path: propose the constitutional amendment I suggested, or write something similar yourself, and push it, try to get it passed.
In the article I linked, I also suggested another amendment which ought to appeal to the left:
The truth is that the left cannot handle freedom, and your (plural) first response to any problem is to limit people’s rights.
@joh
Another angry troll hitting the circuit because he is angered by an event perpetrated by a crazy white man.
Let me ask you something Joh…do you think that abortions are too many, not enough or just about right.
Do you hit the circuit every time another woman kills another baby? Do you hit the circuit every time a gang war errupts in downtown (Name your violent big city)?
Do you hit the circuit everytime a violent illegal immigrant sneaks back over the border for the 5th time and murders an American citizen?
See my post above. Crime is down in this country by almost 50 percent since 1994 when gun ownership has increased the concealed carry permits has exploded.
I was working out of Texas back in the 90’s when Texas passed its conceal firearms law and I was totally opposed to it….crime would run amuck…there would be running gun battles on the freeways……..
What happened?
Ill spare you the details….Murders dropped from 2023 to a low of 1139 in 2013.
Its obvious that had the theatre in question been full of armed citizens that this guy would have been filled full of holes before he killed 3 or 4 people.
Nothing can prevent evil….but making it easier for evil to exist is exactly what far lefties always seem to want to do because they lose sight of the true evil.
The evil is not the gun……the evil is the person carrying the gun.
Mr Thomas wrote:
You’ve missed it, Mr Thomas. For our friends on the left, there is no evil, other than evil white cisheteronormative patriarchists, but simply a large number of people who are misunderstood or suffering from the evils of slavery or otherwise not really responsible because they, or their distant ancestors, had been Victims.
If we would just put trillions more into social programs and get rid of all Confederate flags, conservatives and Christianity, everything would be just perfect in our great country.
Oh, and don’t forget, ban fossil fuels, too!
john,
The rate of ownership cited by Newsweek is based on a survey where respondents were required to give their names and addresses. Given the distrust of people for the government and the Obama administration’s willingness to take guns away from former solders and the elderly, as well as other local efforts to confiscate or reduce ownership of guns, don’t you think that people would be reluctant to give their names and say “I own a gun?”
Anonymous phone surveys conducted by Gallop show the level of gun ownership has remained consistent since 2004. Significantly, the greatest increase in gun ownership is amongst women and minorities. Furthermore, by a wide margin 68% to 25%) people believe that owning a gun makes them safer from criminal attacks.
The data backs that assertion up:
Dana rightfully asserts that gun laws have the results of harming law abiding citizens. No one would think of disarming police and yet:
The facts don’t support your conclusions john. As I and others have noted, you are more interested in disarming law abiding citizens, including women, minorities and the elderly than addressing the crime issue.
the states that have the highest rate of gun violence are the 2 states that have the highest rate of gun ownership
Alaska and Louisiana
more guns= more gun violence
the states that have the highest rate of gun violence are the 2 states that have the highest rate of gun ownership
Alaska and Louisiana
more guns= more gun violence
LOL seriously john……the statistic you point out Alaska had 16 deaths by guns….thats really mowing em down.
Secondly your pointing out per capita….I have shown repeatedly that the Liberal states with the exception of Texas and the swing state of North Carolina have the MOST GUN related homicides.
Louisiana………okay here comes the racist bait….be ready to call me a biggot and a homophobe…..
40 percent of the state is either black or hispanic. I wonder why gun ownership is so high in La. Compared to Hawaii which has the lowest crime rate involving guns.
Hawaii.
Black and Hispanic population comprises 11.4 percent of the population. Whites only 26.6 percent.
Now lets look at another unique fact about gun ownership that fails to be discussed……
California one of the biggest mow them down state in the union……39 percent of the population is White……..61 percent is black, asian or hispanic.
Statistics can be so misleading….you guys really should get some better stats to support your demand that the constitution be revolked.
The only reason I bring up race is because the fall back tactic is always its those racist white people that are mowing em down….its those angry white conservatives who want to pack em up and ship em off….its those white people that…..x…..its those white people that ……….y and z and all letters in between with the far left.
Its always white peoples fault no matter what happens in America even though White people are becoming a minority in this country.
Well certainly I would think that people would be no more afraid of admitting to owning a gun than they would be to be applying for a permit.
Would YOU be afraid to admit to owning a gun?
Now about that survey: the General Social Survey has been done for decades with the questions always at least close to the same. The survey is very highly regarded for its accuracy and consistency. It has shown a steady decline in the rate of gun ownership, many attribute this to a reduction in hunting and hunting permits to which it tracks closely. I looked but could find nothing about whether the survey requires the name and address to be given, I would be surprised if this was te case. Could you cite something from NORX which administers the survey to show this? Thanks
Most surveys of course are given anonymously as this vastly improves accuracy
Pew polls are almost identical to the General Social Survey results and Pew is also reguarded as Gold Standard
They give householf gun ownership rates at 34% http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/the-demographics-and-politics-of-gun-owning-households/
Now of course some just don’t trust polls, they are the ones who refused to believe things like Obama winning easily two times
But really polls are pretty accurate especially those done by non profit groups who aren’t being paid to delived hoped for results, say like Rasmussen
John wrote:
What I find offensive is the notion that you have to have a permit in the first place; the requirement for a permit or license is an infringement on your right to keep and bear arms, even if you are in a “shall issue,” rather than “may issue” state.
Should you be required to have a permit to exercise your freedom of speech? Ought the authorities to have the power to require licenses to attend church? Which of your other constitutional rights do you believe the state should be allowed to license to exercise?
You don’t think a call out of the blue on whether you own a gun would be suspicious and not answered truthfully?
In the current climate? Yes.
Which doesn’t account for the fact that the Pew polls compare to Gallop and cite Gallop polls in their statistical analysis.
As usual, you can’t read and deny what it there in plain sight.
But really polls are pretty accurate especially those done by non profit groups who aren’t being paid to delived hoped for results, say like Rasmussen
So you agree that even if gun ownership is down (which can be for any number of reasons such as costs of permits, denials of permit, cities not allowing gun ownership, etc,) that Pew says support for gun ownership and gun rights is rising? Is Pew’s conclusion on people’s desire to protect gun rights accurate or not? Is your desire to strip people of their right against or with the trend of Americans according to Pew?
By the way, john, in case you missed it, the shooting in LA last night took place in a “gun free” zone.
The shooter obeyed that requirement, didn’t he? After all, according to you, he must not have seen the signs or else he would have walked away and not shot people that had followed the posted signs.
You and your ilk have blood on your hands john.
In some cases, yes. Despite what some people tell you, rights are not “absolute.” Madison, Jefferson, Voltaire and others recognized this fact.
The only way rights can be “absolute” is if you never live near anyone.
For example, do I have a “free speech” right to read the Constitution of the United States in a residential neighborhood using huge speakers and amplification at 3 AM?
The Declaration of Independence says all men have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” We accept that statement today as a founding principle not only of the United States, but the world.
But if that is the case – that the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is absolute – then why does the Constitution allow for the death penalty? Why does the Constitution allow for the taking of a life? Isn’t that a restriction of a right? And isn’t “liberty” restrained when someone is arrested, convicted of a crime and sent to jail? Isn’t their liberty restricted?
The bottom line is that no right is absolute.
[…] Obama says our gun laws frustrate him, and I guarantee they’re not nearly as frustrating as this is to anyone with a functioning moral compass… […]
I do not support outlawing/banning firearms and the Supreme Court agrees with me.
It’s unworkable. It will never happen.
Our Supreme Court has clearly ruled that Americans have the right to possess firearms.
The 100 small children killed each year by the accidental discharge of a firearm is just one of the tiny prices we pay for the protections of the 2nd Amendment. That’s all I’m pointing out.
Would America have been better if Dylan Roof, Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Mohammad Abdulazeez, Jared Loughner, and hundreds of others had not had such easy access to firearms? Sure, in retrospect.
The truth is our gun culture does not keep us safer compared to other advanced nations. The US has the highest per capita murder rate of any of the world’s advanced nations. But we should just get used to it.
John,
I live in Louisiana and know who kills whom. Fact is that the violence is fairly contained in black communities, so why don’t we just prohibit blacks from owning guns? Why do we make everyone suffer because certain cultures espouse violence or use drugs excessively and make it so that we can’t obtain medications across the counter like free countries do? After all, our rights to guns are protected to a greater extent that our ability to pass discriminatory legislation, such as affirmative action and other discriminatory regulations.
One of th3 biggest problems, Jeff, is that you want to punish the majority of the law abidibg and responsible gun owners for the actions of a few. And it still wouldn’t stop the criminal actions by those who do not aquire their guns legally.
Do we ban cars because of the poor actions of a minority? Hell, most people speed, blow off traffic lights, do slow and go’s, etc, do we ban cars? Do we ban alcohol because some people drink, drive, and hurt others? Or get liquor ed up and commit crime? Most drugs are illegal, yet, people do them and commit crimes, some of which are horrendous.
Really John. there are 88 guns per 100 in the USA according to statistics reported in 2014. Far and away the number one nation on earth.
Gun ownership is not declining nor are the sales of guns……what is decling is the people willing to report to a polling firm that they OWN guns.
Thats a no brainer given the fact that people have offered to post online people who own guns after Sandy hook and other various events.
Gun ownership is becoming a stigma driven by the left to the point that people are not going to admit in a poll that they are gun owners.
PEW calls people on the phone….did you have an abortion last year…….oh sure ….yeah, absolutely…….
Like your going to get an honest answer.
The 2012 election the polling was supposed to be way off and Romney was going to win because the polls were saying one thing while the pollsters were interpreting it another.
Simply look at the number of guns in the usa and you can see that the overall number is rising not declining while the reporting of owning a gun voluntarily to a polling organization or US NEWS and World Report is most certainly declining given that US News becams so far whacko left they eventually ran themselves out of business.
Heres a comical statistic that I found in a 2005 gallup survey on gun ownership.
Number of Republicans who own guns…40 percent.
Number of Democrats and indepents who own guns 60 percent.
Meaning in the last two elections more gun owners voted for Obama then they did for either McCain or Romney.
So its quite obvious that the problem with guns is a democratic one….as more people who vote for Obama carry guns then voted for McCain or Romeny.
Therefore based upon this isolated statistic it is actually those people who vote for Obama who have caused all the problems with guns….at least since 2008.
23 comments !!! BOy you really can come alive when you think your beloved guns are in danger
Nope.
Furthermore, the data is not collected the same as the above article notes:
In addition, one country (Switzerland?) has a higher gun ownership rate than the US and yet a lower homicide rate. That alone destroys the idea that mere ownership of a weapon relates to homicides.
What really has to be addressed is personnel responsibility the culture of countries.
“BOy you really can come alive when liberals lie about guns.”
There ya go john. Fixed that for ya.
Simply put, despots fear armed peasants.
According to wiki there are about twice as many guns per resident in the USA as in Switzerland which ranks 4th in guns per capita
Trailing the USA are Serbia and Yemen also well known for high rates of gun violence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_country
But Serbia is moving up fast hope we don’t lose that #1 position !!
We would not let them have guns, why should we let them have ideas? Joseph Stalin.
Taking the guns away from the populace is the sure way to make the populace totally dependent upon the state for every facet of their security.
Its a communist agenda……I must surmise that John is a communist….he wants your guns……he will troll till hell freezes over to get them.
Nice try john.
What is not on the list is the number of military weapons that the private citizens can and do keep in their homes in Switzerland.
There is a cultural difference between the US and Switzerland and the facts shaw that difference – not gun ownership – is a driving factor in gun related homicides.
But you have still failed to address why they biggest increase in gun ownership is from minorities and women. You don’t want minorities and women to have a weapon to protect themselves from criminals john? You want them to be victims?
What are you scared of john? Don’t you think that minorities and women have the intelligence and acumen to be able to have a weapon to prevent being a victim of crime?
You always ask what Teach is doing to help people, what are you doing to help people exercise their rights to life?
Why are you so hell bent on making more victims, john?
You have blood on your hands, john.
We sacrifice about 100 children on the altar of our gun culture each year.
You and I have blood on our hands, gc.
It’s a small price to pay for our freedoms.
And since you brought it up, why doesn’t our gun culture lead to LOWER murder rates than all advanced nations and many, many nations we regard as backward? Shouldn’t our well-regulated militia keep us safer than say, Indonesia?
According to the NRA et al, Americans with guns are preventing tens or even hundreds of thousands of violent crimes each year, yet the statistics don’t reflect this claim. In fact, we have a higher rate of violent crimes than most other advanced nations, even though we have a well-regulated militia.