Obama’s prophetic words on guns & terrorism Orlando prior
President Obama answer to a question from a misinformed gun owner proved to be prophetic a few days after his PBS NewsHour town hall. It is disconcerting that many Americans fail to see how the easy access to guns will continue to allow lone wolves to wreck havoc on American lives. The Orlando mass shooting is a testament to our gun laws.
The President recently appeared on a PBS NewsHour town hall. The President continued answering questions after it was over. A gun shop owner, Doug Rhude, proved that willful ignorance extends to even those who should know better. It extends to those who should be intelligent enough to analyze nonsensical inputs.
Doug Rhude asked the President why both he and Hillary Clinton wanted to restrict responsible gun owners from their weapons and ammunition. His question was ironic because he seemed comfortable with regulating guns like cars, something completely opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The President pointed out that it was a fallacy to believe that he, Hillary Clinton, or Democrats have any interest in removing 2nd Amendment Rights. Moreover, he stated that he was for common sense regulations just like the gun shop owner suggested. In fact, more guns have been sold during his administration than any.
President Obama made a prescient statement that turned out to be prophetic.
“I just came from a meeting today in the situation room in which I’ve got people who we know have been on ISIL websites, living here in the United States, U.S. citizens, and we’re allowed to put them on the no-fly list when it comes to airlines,” President Obama said. “But because of the National Rifle Association, I cannot prohibit those people from buying a gun. This is somebody who is a known ISIL sympathizer. And if he wants to walk into a gun store or a gun show right now, and buy as many weapons and ammo as he can, nothing is prohibiting him from doing that even though the FBI knows who that person is. So sir, I just have to say respectfully that there is a way for us to have common sense gun laws. There is a way for us to make sure that lawful, responsible gun owners like yourself are able to use it for sporting, hunting, protecting yourself. But the only way we are going to do that is if we don’t have a situation in which anything that is proposed is viewed as some tyrannical destruction of the 2nd Amendment. And that’s how the issue too often gets framed.”
It turns out that the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, purchased his weapons recently. As Obama said, the ease with which he got his weapon is directly responsible for the deaths of 49 Americans.