On Jan 5, President Obama made a call for a national “sense of urgency” to limit gun violence. Pausing to wipe away tears, he spoke about the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in order to get his point across on how he believes there should be more gun control.
“I believe in the Second Amendment, there written on paper, that guarantees the right to bear arms… But I also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment,” President Obama said.
The amount of shootings in America is obviously alarming the president- but he has not talked about terrorism as extensively. Most recently, the San Bernardino shooting took place on Dec 2, leaving 14 people dead as well as 22 injured when the gunman opened fire during a workplace Christmas party. This has been investigated as a terrorist attack, yet President Obama has not offered any information on it.
President Obama’s executive order to put more control on guns has not been well revered. A Rasmussen Reports poll found that fifty-eight percent of likely U.S. voters say the government should only do what the president and Congress agree on when it comes to gun control.
Pope Francis has also spoken out in favor of gun control. On June 22 he criticized arms manufacturers and expressed his thoughts about the dangers of guns. What prompted him to speak out was the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, when 21 year old Dylann Roof killed nine people in a historical black church. Later, Roof said that he did it in hopes of starting a race war.
These shooting are worrying world leaders, prompting them to call for more gun control in America. Many other countries have already done so, but with a lot of support for the NRA still existing, and people who are very willing to fight for their second amendment right, it is unclear if there will be significant change anytime soon.