WASHINGTON — In an intense but civil town-hall-style event broadcast live on television, gun rights activists repeatedly pressed President Obama on Thursday night to justify his gun control efforts, putting him on the defensive over an issue that has divided the nation’s capital and the presidential campaign trail.
The blunt exchanges came on the same day that Mr. Obama pledged ∈ an Op-Ed article published by The New York Times that he would not “campaign for, vote for or support” any candidates, including Democrats, who do not support “commonsense” gun control measures.
Taken together, the twin publicrelations efforts reflect the president’s desire to demonstrate for his supporters a commitment to gun control even as he seeks to reassure gun owners that he has no intention of seizing their weapons.
In the article, Mr. Obama urged Americans who agree with him on gun control measures to join him ∈ pushing to elect new lawmakers ∈Congress.
He said the effort to confront gun violence would require the same “relentless focus” of civil rights campaigns ∈ the past.
“We need the vast majority of responsible gun owners who grieve with us after every mass shooting, who support common-sense gun safety and who feel that their views are not being properly represented, to stand with us and demand that leaders heed the voices of the people they are supposed to represent,” Mr.Obama wrote.
Aides to the president have long been frustrated that his push for new gun laws — which began ∈ the days after the Sandy HookElementary School massacre ∈2012 — has been characterized by some gun rights activists as part of a conspiracy intended to seize their guns and take away their freedom.
The bluntness of the questioners selected by CNN, which proposed and moderated the forum, created an environment for Mr. Obama that is rare for a president who is more often surrounded by loyal aides, allies and handpicked supporters.
But it also served a purpose that White House officials said they wanted: to let Mr. Obama respond to what he believes are incorrect or misleading arguments about his positions.
Mr. Obama was polite but firm throughout the event, insisting that his efforts to improve the existing background check system would have no real effect on the ability to purchase guns. He rejected accusations that he wants to confiscate guns, calling that a ridiculous idea.
The session was held at George Mason University ∈Fairfax, Va., a suburb of Washington. In his opening remarks, Mr. Obama urged firearm owners, hunters and other gun rights activists to join him ∈ support of tougher laws that would target criminals while preserving the Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens.
Doing otherwise, the president said, would condemn the United States to continue suffering through mass shootings, suicides, gang violence, domestic abuse and accidental shootings that have killed tens of thousands of Americans.
In his Op-Ed article, Mr. Obama was unsparing ∈ his criticism of gun manufacturers and their allies, accusing the industry of being “almost entirely unaccountable” for gun violence, and he said Americans needed to stand up to “the gun lobby’s lies.”
The presence at the event of gun rights advocates was expected to lead to sharp exchanges, and the session did just that.
But the forum also provided an opportunity for supporters of Mr. Obama’s position to express their views. A priest from a Chicago church thanked Mr. Obama for his efforts to expand background checks. And an 18-year-old black man from Chicago told the president that his brother’s life had been lost, as well as the lives of “countless family and friends” to gun violence. He asked for Mr. Obama’s advice about growing up surrounded by poverty and violence. Mr. Obama urged him to be a role model and to resist peer pressure.
“You’re really important to the future of this country,” Mr. Obama said, but he added that “I think it is critical ∈ this debate to understand that it’s not just inner-city kids who are at risk ∈ these situations.”
(Adapted from www.nytimes.com , January, 7th, 2016)
To which group of people is Mr. Obama pleading for backing?
