“Part of the reason is that the NRA has convinced many of its members that somebody’s going to come grab your guns, which is by the way, really profitable for the gun manufacturers”, he said. “When would I have started on this enterprise, right?”
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Taking the stage at George Mason University, Obama accused the NRA of refusing to join the debate despite having its headquarters nearby.
Speaking at a CNN town hall on gun violence in America, Obama says he can understand why an Iowan living in a rural area would want to own a gun for protection, while gun ownership in Chicago can be more unsafe.
Representatives of the National Rifle Association, a major opponent of Obama’s gun-control measures, declined to participate in the town hall event and instead took to Fox News to blast Obama, according to CNN.
President Obama reacts while talking about Newtown, Connecticut, and other mass killings during an event held to announce new gun control measures at the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 5.
Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the NRA, said before the meeting that the group saw “no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House”.
In fact, gun sales have spiked after every mass shooting during Obama’s seven years in office.
“Even as I continue to take every action possible as president, I will also take every action I can as a citizen”, Obama explained.
Majority of Americans support President Barack Obama’s new gun control executive actions that aim to strengthen federal background checks for gun purchases and enforcement of current laws. “If anything, you’ve helped”, Cooper replied.
President Obama issued an executive action this week created to curb gun violence. “You know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko?”
The forum, which aired on CNN, pitted the president and gun control advocates against Second Amendment supporters.
“If somebody is a straw purchaser and what that means is they don’t intend the guns for themselves, they intend to resell them to somebody else, they go to a gun show in indiana where right now they don’t have to do a background check”, he said. Still, the president said he was “happy” to meet with the NRA to discuss his proposals.
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One of the most powerful moments of the night came after Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords – the Arizona Democrat who was shot in the head at a congressional event in 2011 – asked the president why people think the Obama administration is coming for their guns.
