By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor
By his own admission President Obama has accepted he has not done enough to tackle gun control. He has made many passionate speeches on the matter before, but none of them have made any difference to the amount of guns available to Americans. Ironically, when he has made his pleas for gun use restraint after mass shootings; firearms sales actually increase.
Now during a passionate speech, where Barack was reduced to tears, he has promised to take action to tighten gun control.
The President has revealed a new set of measures to prevent weapons making their way into the hands of people who may use them for illegal means. Background checks will now be conducted for online sales and at gun shows, as opposed to solely in gun stores, as previous regulation stipulated.
The FBI will also increase its number of staff dedicated to undertaking background checks by 50 per cent, with over two hundred more people hired to ensure guns are safely distributed to the American people.
The president is anticipating a fight from congress over his plans, suggesting gun enthusiasts, including the influential NRA, are pulling the chamber’s strings on the issue, but he was unrepentant.
He said:
“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage.
“If we can set it up so you can’t unlock your phone unless you’ve got the right fingerprint, why can’t we do the same thing for our guns? If a child can’t open a bottle of aspirin, we should make sure they can’t pull a trigger on a gun.”
That almost endless list of tragedies involving guns perfectly demonstrated why action needs to be taken. Now he can’t be re-elected it actually gives him the freedom to make substantial changes, without fear of being voted from power.
However, the 44th president conceded, these measures won’t go far enough, but it must be seen as a step in the right direction to try and stem the horrific number of gun related murders and mass shootings.
Watch his speech (below)