On June 19, President Barack Obama gave an interview to WTF with Marc Maron in which he described guns as part of “a legitimate set of traditions” that need to be subject to “common sense” controls.
At the same time, he cited the NRA’s “grip” on Congress and “public apathy” as two major hindrances to securing those controls.
According to Reuters, Obama told Marc Maron that “guns are an important part of many Americans’ heritage.” He then said:
It’s part of how they grew up, part of the bonding they had with their dad. The question is just: is there a way of accommodating that legitimate set of traditions with some common-sense stuff that prevents a 21-year-old who is angry about something or confused about something or is racist or is deranged from going into a gun store.
The last part of that statement relates to CNN report that alleged gunman Dylann Roof bought his gun at gun store in Charleston in April. Ironically, this means he passed a background check–the very background check that has been the cornerstone of the “common sense” gun control push undertaken by Obama, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Gabby Giffords, Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Sandy Hook Promise since December 2012.
But the background check was impotent to stop Roof’s from allegedly attacking the church.
Still, Obama pushes forward, but he admits that the NRA and public indifference to more gun control stand in his way.
He said:
I don’t foresee any legislative action being taken in this Congress. And I don’t foresee any real action being taken until the American public feels a sufficient sense of urgency and they say to themselves, “This is not normal, this is something that we can change, and we’re going to change it.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.