Even if one assumes that President Barack Obama was sincere in letting his emotions show in Tuesday’s comments on the need for stricter gun control laws, his passion is misdirected.
The problem is not that we don’t have enough gun control laws. The problem is the lax enforcement of these laws. The problem is that too many bad guys have guns and use them. Furthermore, when caught these “bad guys” are given light sentences or plea bargained down to receive only probation. There are estimated to be approximately 310 million guns currently owned in the U.S.; therefore, new guns laws won’t stop the bad guys from getting and using guns.
Instead, the president should be demanding stricter enforcement and tougher sentencing of those using guns. With respect to Chicago, the president should show more passion toward urging the mayor to take more action to control the gang violence.
Finally, while the mass shootings such as Sandy Hook are horrific, where is the president’s passion about dealing with terrorist shootings? The average citizen is more likely to be concerned with the terrorist threat than single shootings, which is part of the reason why gun sales increased after the San Bernardino terrorist shooting.
— Dan Schuchardt, Glen Ellyn
