CNN moderated the debate on Thursday and said that the National Rifle Association declined to participate in the conversation.
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President Barack Obama wipes away tears from his eyes as he speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. “When would I have started on this enterprise, right?”
A gun owner in favor of greater gun control, Kelly said there are 65 million guns across the U.S.: “If the federal government wanted to confiscate those objects, how would they do that?”
Obama defended his support for the constitutional right to gun ownership while arguing it was consistent with his efforts to curb violence and mass shootings.
Mr Obama’s comments come two days after he announced a package of executive actions which will affect access to guns.
“I think he probably means well”, the frontrunner Republican presidential candidate said on Fox News Wednesday when asked about an emotional Obama tearing up as he talked about the first graders massacred at a Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012.
“Yes, that is a conspiracy”, Obama said.
The difference in opinion on guns across the country, the President said, is partially because “people occupy different realities” – both in terms of location and tradition. “I’ve been very good for gun manufacturers”.
Cooper noted that many people watching don’t believe Obama when he says he isn’t coming after their guns since he has never been a gun owner himself. “He used it as an opportunity to impose more gun control on law abiding Americans”. Rightly billed by the White House as “common sense” measures, they would require, among other things, that all businesses selling guns, including gun show vendors and online businesses, be licensed and conduct complete background checks on their customers.
At another point, Obama said: “I respect the Second Amendment; I respect the right to bear arms”, Obama said.
Sen. Ted Cruz has emailed supporters an image of Obama in combat uniform, complete with helmet, claiming “Obama wants your guns”, while canvasing for campaign support. The fact that some people would still get illegal guns through theft, the black market or straw purchases should not stop the government from trying to keep them out of the wrong hands.
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Mr. Obama also addressed the issue of gun violence in a New York Times op-ed Thursday.
