Former President Barack Obama is once again challenging the Second Amendment and his place in society. The 44th president sat down for an interview with CBS last week, where he cited “mass shooting” numbers and used his numbers to report gun possession. According to Obama, gun ownership has over time become an issue of culture warfare. He considers belief in the Second Amendment to be politically biased and tied to political ideology, which he condemns. The former president says there are divisions in Second Amendment beliefs between urban and rural residents, educational attainment, social class, and race.
Obama’s comments build on a recent wave of lawmakers calling for gun laws and reforms. They want to ban some types of weapons, raise age limits and initiate other restrictions.
The Obama Foundation has launched its own initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper (MBK),” whose goal is to protect black youth from violent crime. The Foundation would provide funding, training and education to applicants who meet its requirements. MBK will be launched in four cities where these young people are most at risk of gun violence. Obama said he wants a “practical approach” and then compared what he would like to happen with guns to changes in car safety. He said car crashes have led to wearing seat belts and gun violence should lead to restrictions. He claims that gun violence leads people to emotion rather than pragmatism, which then endangers children.
The former president has wanted to reinstate the ban on assault weapons and install tighter gun controls since his tenure. Obama tried to use the Pulse Nightclub shooting to do just that in 2016. He made comments after the shooting, calling it “inconceivable” that the United States would allow “easy access” to assault weapons. Obama did not mention gang violence or mental illness in his remarks.
