GOP Lament of Obama Gun Action is Just Another Republican Hissy Fit

“They’re just down the street”, Obama said, referring to the group’s nearby headquarters.

“There’s a long history of that, that’s in our DNA, you know?”

Mr Obama’s attack on the NRA came two days after unveiling a package aimed at keeping guns from people who should not have them. “And if the 90 percent of Americans who do support common-sense gun reforms join me, we will elect the leadership we deserve”.

At the town hall, which was hosted and televised by CNN, Obama took questions from Taya Kyle, whose late husband Chris Kyle was depicted in the film “American Sniper”.

President Barack Obama rejected the conservative talking point on Thursday that his administration is out to strip guns away from their owners.

A spokesman said before the event that the group had “no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House”.

A gun owner in favor of greater gun control, Kelly said there are 65 million guns across the U.S.: “If the federal government wanted to confiscate those objects, how would they do that?”

There is a growing consensus, among gun owners and non-gun-owners alike, that we can strengthen our background check system without infringing on the rights of law-abiding Americans.

While President Obama’s executive orders will make a difference in the fight to reduce gun violence, it is ultimately up to Congress to pass long-term reforms.

Part of a concerted White House push to promote the effort, the town hall attracted a number of high-profile figured in the gun debate, including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in 2011. Rightly billed by the White House as “common sense” measures, they would require, among other things, that all businesses selling guns, including gun show vendors and online businesses, be licensed and conduct complete background checks on their customers.

“We certainly are looking forward to having the opportunity to engage in that discussion with people who are interested in participating in it”, he said.

He said flatly “it is a false notion” that does not believe in the Second Amendment.

In an editorial in The New York Times published on Thursday evening, Obama stressed the need for “common-sense” gun laws and gave a warning to the next election’s crop of candidates. The fact that some people would still get illegal guns through theft, the black market or straw purchases should not stop the government from trying to keep them out of the wrong hands.

“We’re the only advanced nation on earth that sees this kind of mass violence with this frequency”, Obama wrote in his op-ed, referencing the United States’ reputation as an outlier in this realm.