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Obama on Oregon Shooting: ‘This Is Something We Should Politicize’
President Obama delivered an angry statement on the Thursday shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, OR. “Each time we see one of these mass shootings,” he said from the White House briefing room podium, “our thoughts and prayers are not enough.
In a 15-minute statement, Obama stressed that the US is “the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every couple of months.” He praised the gun control efforts in Australia, a nation that conducted a mass confiscation of firearms from its citizenry.
The President repeatedly complained about the Republican-led Congress and gun rights advocates. “There is a gun for roughly every man, woman, and child in America,” he said, “so how can you with a straight face say more guns will make us safer?”
Obama claimed that states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths and repeatedly called for “common-sense” gun safety legislation. “Somebody somewhere will comment and say, ‘Obama politicized this issue.’ Well, this is something we should politicize,” the President said.
Instead of offering a plan of his own, Obama told voters to change American politics on the issue. He even requested that the media make gun control more popular.
“I would ask news organizations — because I won’t put these facts forward — have news organizations tally up the number of Americans who’ve been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who’ve been killed by gun violence, and post those side-by-side on their news reports. It won’t be information coming from me, it’ll be coming from you,” the President said, pointing to reporters in the room.
Published in Guns
I am marveling at a completely different aspect of this incident. I heard reports of the killer ordering the room to the floor. One by one then standing them and inquiring to their personal religion. It is said that if they answered Christian, then they where shot in the head. If they answered other, then wounded. After the first couple of victims, how hard would it be to stay true and answer Christian? How many did fail and are now going to live with that fact. I am awed at such a display and am curiously inspired to think it happened that way. Young people, in America, in this day and age of jaded selfish existence. They did not fail. I must pray for them tonight.
Jimmy Carter – the pattern is the symptom of a very sick culture – our souls need hospitalized – yes women are to blame too – absolutely – blame whomever, feminism, liberalism, fanaticism – but when we get tired of blaming and try to do what we can to change the situation collectively, where we can, it could help – so far what is changing for the better? I have my job cut out as a female – you as a male – I want to write to my niece and be a better aunt, a better neighbor, believe me – I am not dissing men – on the contrary – but it is men that are the shooters on these campuses, in Chicago, etc. Where are the mentors?
I get that school gun massacres are traumatising.
In Australia, the recent Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege was similarly traumatising. I wonder how different events might have been if one of the hostages had a legally concealed firearm of their own and was trained to use it.
Carcat, I’m surprised at you! Because you read my mind. I second your vote of no confidence in this adolescent tinhorn.
Paul Dougherty, you are so right, and my prayers will be for those children tonight too.
In London I read reports that they are in the midst of a stabbing epidemic and are “asking” citizens to drop their knives off at council-approved safety bins.
http://m.snopes.com/2015/06/22/save-a-life-surrender-your-knife/
By all accounts, the response from local law enforcement was as good as it could be. They arrived on-scene in a matter of minutes, and rather than wait for SWAT to roll in, the first officers on-scene began to search for the shooter, found him and neutralized the threat. Twenty minutes later, the crime scene was secure, and the wounded were on their way to the hospital.
The police were there in minutes.
My time to draw a gun from concealment and put a round on-target 10 yards away is 1.1 seconds. I know this, I practice it regularly.
A few minutes is fast. 1.1 seconds is faster.
That, my friend – is truly unbelievable. I’d have Snoped it if you hadn’t left that link. You really don’t have to make this stuff up. Wow.
Oh, c’mon. You started by blaming iPads and “the latest electronics.”
But let’s just take a look at Yer language:
You have condemned everyone except the guy who pulled the trigger. Not one mention.
And then:
Are You so far from the concept of personal responsibility that the word Parents never cross Yer mind?
A reminder: We have the playbook for the anti-gun crowd, and Obama followed it almost to the letter.
From that PDF
Overall Messaging Guidance:
#1: Always Focus On Emotional And Value-Driven Arguments About Gun Violence
#2: Tell Stories With Images And Feelings.
#3: Claim Moral Authority And The Mantle Of Freedom
#4: Emphasize That Extraordinarily Dangerous, Military-Style Weapons Are Now Within Easy Reach Across America
#5: Emphasize That America Has Weak Gun Laws And Don’t Assume That People Know That
#6: Challenge The NRA On Your Terms, Not Theirs
Yeah, I know two or three. So that’s what, like 7% of them right there.
I think it’s funny that he asked the media to politicize this for him.
As if he even needed to ask.
I’m willing to assume that the folks calling for more gun control are perfectly sincere. They’re saddened, shocked, and outraged. So they see that a person uses a gun to kill multiple people, and without that gun this wouldn’t, couldn’t, have happened. Since a gun can be used by anyone, we just have to get rid of guns, period.
So they’re sincere. But we also can’t debate or bargain with them. Any talk of the second amendment, or self defense, or liberty is simply irrelevant. They wish to preclude any future massacres, and the only way to do this is to make sure that guns cannot fall into the wrong hands.
This means that their ultimate end is to remove guns from society, and carefully restrict guns to only approved holders (military, police, and certain important people who need that level of defense). They also have to demonize guns they way they’ve demonized tobacco, and train the populace to docility in all aspects of their lives. For the greater good, of course.
Because the purpose is not gun control, but people control.
Jon,
The grotesque monster asked each victim what their religion was. When they answered Christian he shot them in the head. If they answered anything else he shot them in the leg.
There has never been a clearer case of a hate crime than this. The disgusting political reptile in the White House will play this hate crime horror as just another result of loose gun laws. He won’t even acknowledge that Christians were the target of the madman. It is obvious that Obama’s crusade references when asked about Jihadist atrocities are to direct hatred at Christians. He just glad handed the Pope. Now he won’t even acknowledge this.
There has been a genocide of Christians in the Middle East. Everyone knows it including the Pope. Obama has never been lower.
Regards,
Jim
Mercer attacked people at the same community college that one of the heroes in the August train terrorist attack in France had attended.
The only law we need to pass is one that says if you (college administrator, theater owner, etc.) create a gun-free zone, then you are legally liable for the safety of the people in it.
I see your point. But people create Gun-Free Zones thinking they are already the safest possible places. They inherently believe allowing guns makes them less safe, despite any evidence to the contrary. So the legal liability will probably just cause them to double down on the Gun-Freeness.
“In the last three months, he’s been pantsed by Khameni, Xi, and Putin. It’s going to give the poor little guy a complex.”
No. Not at all. He has *cooperated* with Khameni, Xi and Putin.
The difference is not trivial and we ignore it at our increasing peril.
I’ve heard this cited before, and although it sounds fishy to me I haven’t looked closely at the numbers. This is probably the article he’s referring to: http://www.nationaljournal.com/s/53345/states-with-most-gun-laws-see-fewest-gun-related-deaths
Good God in Heaven. He’s from Torrance, CA and lived on Arlington. About a mile from my mom and in the same neighborhood (2-3 blocks) as two of my sisters. If he went to Torrance High (walking distance from where he lived) he was a year ahead of one of my nieces.
Am trolling FB to see if anyone I know knew him.
Alright Mr. President, you want my guns? Then you, personally, come and take them you fascist SOB. This had nothing to do with guns. This had everything to do with an anti-Christian bigot who probably became radicalized by the stupid Communist professors of that community college he attended.
Yet again, Christians are specifically targeted and this man in the White House does nothing, says nothing, and doesn’t care. Instead he is making sure that this crisis isn’t wasted and advancing his Party’s stupid tyrannical policy of blaming the gun for the work of a madman.
My fellow Christians, you are being targeted. Obama is too stupid to realize this, but we are being targeted. God bless those brave souls who, when asked at gun point, said yes and did not deny the Lord Jesus.
Well just off the top of my head I can think of Colorado, Connecticut, and now Oregon. Three states with rather tough gun laws before the shooting. Conversely there has also been South Carolina, Arizona, and Pennsylvania (if you want to count the one guy sniping police officers), states I would assume that did not have as strict of laws as the previous three mentioned.
That is pretty interesting isn’t it. Almost as though this was right on cue. “Michelle, that damned Vladimir is making me look like the moronic dunce I truly am on the international stage. What do I do?” “Don’t worry Barry, I’m sure something will happen that will convince your fans in the media to stop caring about that and give you something to crusade against.”
Here in Japan you’re hardly allowed to own anything more powerful than a BB gun. The last guy here who did a mass-killing simply drove his car into a crowd standing by the roadside, then jumped out and started randomly stabbing. We’re surrounded by objects that can be easily weaponized if the will to harm is strong enough.
Indeed. There was a gas attack a bit ago in Japan, too, that demonstrated how easy it is to brew up lethality against the masses. You can get a good enough chlorine output from the stuff you have lying about in your house, too.
Israel banned for a long time (not long enough) sugar from being shipped into Gaza–and was heavily condemned for it–because that’s a good bomb-making ingredient.
Eric Hines
What about the use of airplanes to commit mass murder like what happened about a decade and a half ago in New York City and Washington DC?
My point exactly – do you see the promotion of personal responsibility from the top down anywhere in today’s society? Name a place. Do you see the parents paying a price for the crimes committed by their youth? Was not that last “shooter” who was completely crazy given access to guns by the uncle? You keep highlighting my points. If I see one more comment that says guns are the problem, I’m going to hurl.
If there were no such thing, what other weapons would this guy have found to wreak havoc? Accountability starts young – we have a society where the 2nd Amendment is invoked in a tragedy-the founders did not mean life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness or….. if you choose, complete chaos.
And I’ll tell you something else Jimmy Carter – the creators of the 2nd Amendment intended the meaning to bear arms, as a means of protection from harm, not to produce harm. Just like Freedom of Religion is not freedom from religion. We’ve created a world where you can get anything you want anytime you want, legal or not. All the gun laws in the world won’t stop the criminal mind.
Do people have the right to go to work and school without fear of losing their lives? If you want to live in a country where the lines are blurred regarding right and wrong, where the rule of law is disregarded, you will eventually have mayhem. The guy that pulled the trigger is responsible – but as it keeps happening over and over, not an isolated incident, it isn’t a stretch to connect the dots that something is not working.
I asked my husband do you remember it ever being like this when we were in school? No – it’s a different world he said – we’re in our 50’s – so how did we get to this point in a civil society in the greatest country in the world?
Where is Obama’s outrage every week after 20+ people are killed in Chicago by rival gangs or other criminals? He is a disgusting hypocrite. I knew he was going to politicize this horrible shooting as soon as I heard about it.
Amen brother. Where there is a will there is a way. The guns don’t shoot themselves.
If only this clown got this upset about the loss of American power and prestigge in the world. What is happening in Syria is a national disgrace, and he worries about this? I can’t wait for this moron to go.