I just watched president Obama make an impassioned statement at the White House in response to the mass shooting at a community college in Oregon. It was a typical Obama statement, long on emotion but short on facts or solutions. Here are just a few key points to consider:
1. Obama made a pitch for the need for gun legislation before we know anything about who the shooter is, whether or not he got his gun(s) legally, and why he was shooting people at the college. Clearly, if the shooter turns out to be a terrorist inspired by ISIS, the appropriate response is different than if he was a mentally ill paranoid who thought he was being persecuted. If the guy bought the gun illegally, that is quite different than if he went through background checks and got the weapon legally. Obama, however, does not care. He took the opportunity to turn this into a political event rather than a tragedy.
2. Obama made a pitch for gun legislation but he never proposed anything in particular. In fact, Obama has not proposed anything in particular regarding guns for the seven years he has been president. If Obama were actually serious about the need for gun legislation, he ought to have made a concrete proposal, but, of course, he has not.
3. Obama talks about how he has been fighting for gun legislation for his entire term. During 2009 and 2010, however, when the Democrats had total control of Congress by lop-sided majorities, they did nothing at all regarding guns. Instead, they left the issue as one to use in future campaigns. They want a campaign issue rather than a solution.
4. Obama talked tonight about the clear evidence that in places with stronger gun laws, the level of gun violence is lower. I guess Obama never heard of Chicago. It has very strict gun laws as well as levels of gun violence that far exceed those in the rest of the nation. Last weekend, for the second week in a row, over 50 people were shot in gun violence in Chicago. The president from Chicago wants us to ignore his home town.
1. Obama made a pitch for the need for gun legislation before we know anything about who the shooter is, whether or not he got his gun(s) legally, and why he was shooting people at the college. Clearly, if the shooter turns out to be a terrorist inspired by ISIS, the appropriate response is different than if he was a mentally ill paranoid who thought he was being persecuted. If the guy bought the gun illegally, that is quite different than if he went through background checks and got the weapon legally. Obama, however, does not care. He took the opportunity to turn this into a political event rather than a tragedy.
2. Obama made a pitch for gun legislation but he never proposed anything in particular. In fact, Obama has not proposed anything in particular regarding guns for the seven years he has been president. If Obama were actually serious about the need for gun legislation, he ought to have made a concrete proposal, but, of course, he has not.
3. Obama talks about how he has been fighting for gun legislation for his entire term. During 2009 and 2010, however, when the Democrats had total control of Congress by lop-sided majorities, they did nothing at all regarding guns. Instead, they left the issue as one to use in future campaigns. They want a campaign issue rather than a solution.
4. Obama talked tonight about the clear evidence that in places with stronger gun laws, the level of gun violence is lower. I guess Obama never heard of Chicago. It has very strict gun laws as well as levels of gun violence that far exceed those in the rest of the nation. Last weekend, for the second week in a row, over 50 people were shot in gun violence in Chicago. The president from Chicago wants us to ignore his home town.
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