Barack Obama's genuine tears

(Baonghean) - On January 6th, after an emotional speech to the American people, President Obama officially announced a new proposal to tighten gun control regulations - an issue he had addressed since his presidential campaign.

After numerous attempts that quickly faded into oblivion in Congress, this time it seems both emotion and reason have compelled him to use his constitutional presidential powers to bypass Congress. Although difficult, hopefully, with his firm decision, the American people will no longer have to live in fear of horrific mass shootings.

The reality of "struggling" with Obama.

More than 55,000 gun dealers are licensed in the US, ranging from small private shops to large chain stores. Photo: Getty Images.

According to 2015 statistics in the US, there were over 55,000 licensed gun dealers. This includes everything from small private shops to large chain stores. In addition, there were over 8,000 licensed pawn shops selling guns.

Federal law mandates that gun buyers from licensed dealers and pawn shops undergo background checks. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nine categories of individuals are prohibited from purchasing firearms, including criminals; fugitives; drug addicts or users of illegal drugs; individuals with mental illness; those discharged from the armed forces; those who renounce their U.S. citizenship; undocumented immigrants; and those involved in domestic violence…

In addition, the law prohibits licensed dealers from selling handguns to individuals under 21 years of age, and prohibits the sale of rifles and hunting guns to individuals under 18 years of age.

That's the regulation, however, not all gun buyers go to stores; they can buy on the black market or from other owners. They can buy any gun, from handguns and rifles to other types of firearms, from unlicensed gun dealers.

This has led to an extremely dangerous situation: the mandatory background check of buyers, as required by law, is being bypassed. As a result, up to 40% of guns sold in the US today remain unchecked.

In the US, firearms are advertised online, but federal law requires actual transactions to take place in licensed stores. Authorities periodically inspect these establishments. One study indicated that one in 30 people who search for guns online have a criminal record.

Several mass shootings resulting in at least four casualties occurred in the US in 2015. Photo: Shootingtracker.com.

Due to lax gun control, there are now 310 million guns in circulation, making the United States one of the countries with the highest number of gun owners in the world. Gun violence is currently ranked 13th among the leading causes of death annually in the US.

With such horrifying statistics, it's clear that the need for gun control didn't just arise after a number of recent mass shootings. Statistics show that, on average, more than one person dies from gun violence in the United States every day.

The outgoing president's final effort

Although statistics point to lax gun control as the cause of horrific mass shootings in the US over the years, with the number of fatalities far exceeding the number of casualties from terrorist attacks, efforts to restrict and control gun sales have consistently been overlooked when presented to both houses of Congress.

Following the local congressional elections, the opposition Republican Party won overwhelmingly and gained complete control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the gun industry generates $3.5 billion annually – a huge sum whose majority of the profits are held by the Republicans. Therefore, their efforts to block the current President's gun control legislation are understandable.

And to justify this prohibition, many high-ranking Republican politicians have "emphatically" made statements along the lines of: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"; or "gun control means taking away people's right to self-defense, which is contrary to a democratic society"...

This mindset, coupled with the constant risk of becoming a victim of mass shootings, has led Americans to seek out firearms for self-defense. And with gun control still hampered by both houses of Congress, this ever-increasing demand is the reason for the current high rate of gun use among Americans.

President Obama was visibly moved, wiping away tears as he mentioned the 20 Sandy Hook Elementary School students who died in the 2012 shooting. Photo: Internet.

On January 6th, one detail that likely made anyone watching President Obama announce his proposed new gun control regulations come to mind was his tearful reaction when mentioning the 20 elementary school students killed in the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

"I go crazy every time I think about those children." He wiped away tears and continued, "Violence happens every day on the streets of Chicago."

His tears must have deeply impacted the thoughts and feelings of many Americans. Even Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate – a leading conservative hawk – remarked that "those tears were real." However, the billionaire also didn't forget to express his opposition, stating, "His mistake lies in the measures, not the emotions," and criticizing Obama's plan as a step toward banning gun sales.

Many other Republican figures, such as Senator Ted Cruz and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain, have also criticized President Obama's proposal, calling it an abuse of power.

After numerous delays, President Obama has decided to use his executive power to officially announce a proposed new regulation to tighten gun control. While it may currently pass the US Congress, implementing this regulation will not be simple, as vested interests within Congress will certainly not ignore the "gold mine" they possess.

And even if gun control is implemented, will America truly reduce mass shootings? This is a question that remains unanswered in the near future, especially considering that President Barack Obama's term is ending in just over a year, and who will succeed him, and even if there were a desire to control gun sales, it wouldn't be easy to achieve.

Canh Nam