As he addressed the subject of gun violence Tuesday morning, President Obama wiped tears from his eyes.
Standing in the East Room of the White House, Obama announced an executive order he hopes will stop the violence, with or without Congress.
The plan, he said, would expand criminal background checks and clarify pre-existing laws regarding private firearm sales, both online and at gun shows. It would also fund research for mental health treatment.
Standing alongside gun-safety advocates, Obama fired back at his critics, some of whom said his policy wouldn’t prevent criminals from obtaining guns.
“Each time this comes up,” Obama said, “we are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying?”
Each year, more than 30,000 Americans die from gun violence, he said.
“Congress still needs to act,” he said. “The folks in this room will not rest until Congress does.”
Far from Washington, at Main Street Jewelry and Loan in Gainesville, store owner Chase Summers listened to the president’s speech. For the most part, he agreed.
Summers, who sells various guns at his store, said one of the largest problems plaguing the country is private gun sales, specifically the so-called “gun-show loophole.”
This loophole allows private sellers, who he said operate outside government regulation, to sell guns without conducting background checks.
“There is no guideline for private sales,” Summers, 43, said. “That’s part of the problem.”
Cortland Bailey, a 22-year-old UF electrical engineering senior, said he has plenty of experience in private gun sales on both ends.
And they’re perfectly legal.
“The law states that any individual may purchase or sell to another individual provided they are legally allowed to own it,” Bailey wrote in an email. “Checking a drivers license is something that has always been done in my experience.”
Bailey said the U.S. shouldn’t pile on gun-safety laws while its current laws aren’t enforced enough — particularly the illegal purchase of firearms, which has been under-enforced, he said.
For Obama, dealing with gun violence is a priority in a country that knows it all too well.
“The United States of America is not the only country on Earth with violent or dangerous people,” he said. “We are not inherently more prone to violence, but we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency.”
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
