In an op-ed letter to the Arizona Daily Star referring to the recent tragic shooting in Tucson, President Obama expressed his desire to reform the gun safety legislation. The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) however is continuing to push for guns to be carried by faculty members at the University of Tennessee.
The shooting in Tucson that claimed the life of six people and wounded thirteen others prompted the president to write his letter. President Obama mentioned that Loughner, the alleged suspect deemed mentally unfit to serve in the U.S. Military was able to procure firearms leading to the death of a young girl and an Arizona government official. The president also mentioned that many people have lost their lives to firearms since the tragedy in Tucson.
“Since that day, we have lost perhaps another 2,000 members of our American family to gun violence. Thousands more have been wounded. We lose the same number of young people to guns every day and a half as we did at Columbine, and every four days as we did at Virginia Tech,” said the president.
In the letter, Obama stressed the use of common sense, and gave three steps that he said were necessary to ensure that Americans are safe from unwanted gun violence.
“First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books... Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens... Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can’t escape it,” said the president.
President Obama is not opposing the right to bear arms that is protected by the Second Amendment but he is asking for a change in the “porous background checks” that allow people who are mentally unstable to purchase firearms.. A full copy of the letter can be viewed on the White House official website.
The NRA-ILA released a statement Monday calling upon its members to attend a Faculty Senate meeting where the Senate members are to vote on Senate Bill 399 regarding the issue of concealed weapons being carried by college faculty members. The statement urged its members to attend.
“It is crucial that you attend this meeting in defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms,” read the statement.
The NRA-ILA also released a statement commenting on the recent controversy regarding the resignation of National Public Radio (NPR) president Vivian Schiller and the firing of NPR VP Ron Schiller. These came following a statement from Ron Schiller telling people that gun owners were “seriously racist.” NPR had released a statement on the issue saying that the organization was “appalled” by Ron Schillers comment.
The shooting in Tucson that claimed the life of six people and wounded thirteen others prompted the president to write his letter. President Obama mentioned that Loughner, the alleged suspect deemed mentally unfit to serve in the U.S. Military was able to procure firearms leading to the death of a young girl and an Arizona government official. The president also mentioned that many people have lost their lives to firearms since the tragedy in Tucson.
“Since that day, we have lost perhaps another 2,000 members of our American family to gun violence. Thousands more have been wounded. We lose the same number of young people to guns every day and a half as we did at Columbine, and every four days as we did at Virginia Tech,” said the president.
In the letter, Obama stressed the use of common sense, and gave three steps that he said were necessary to ensure that Americans are safe from unwanted gun violence.
“First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books... Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens... Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can’t escape it,” said the president.
President Obama is not opposing the right to bear arms that is protected by the Second Amendment but he is asking for a change in the “porous background checks” that allow people who are mentally unstable to purchase firearms.. A full copy of the letter can be viewed on the White House official website.
The NRA-ILA released a statement Monday calling upon its members to attend a Faculty Senate meeting where the Senate members are to vote on Senate Bill 399 regarding the issue of concealed weapons being carried by college faculty members. The statement urged its members to attend.
“It is crucial that you attend this meeting in defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms,” read the statement.
The NRA-ILA also released a statement commenting on the recent controversy regarding the resignation of National Public Radio (NPR) president Vivian Schiller and the firing of NPR VP Ron Schiller. These came following a statement from Ron Schiller telling people that gun owners were “seriously racist.” NPR had released a statement on the issue saying that the organization was “appalled” by Ron Schillers comment.
