Barack Obama says gun ownership has become a growing "ideological" and "partisan" issue

[SouthBayDem]

Source: CBS

Former President Barack Obama is urging Americans to have a dialogue about gun violence as the U.S. recently surpassed 200 mass shootings so far this year, according to CBS News data.

Obama discussed the challenges of reducing gun violence and how gun ownership has become an "ideological" and "partisan" issue during an exclusive sit-down interview with "CBS Mornings" co-host Nate Burleson. The full interview will air on Tuesday, May 16.

"I think somehow — and there are a lot of historical reasons for this — gun ownership in this country became an ideological issue, and a partisan issue, in ways that it shouldn't be," Obama told Burleson. "It has become sort of a proxy for arguments about our culture wars, you know? Urban versus rural. Race is always an element in these issues. Issues of class and education, and so forth."

The comments come as lawmakers face renewed calls for further gun legislation from family members of shooting victims, activists and constituents. But any action would face staunch resistance in an increasingly divided Congress. "We have to recognize that we can ban these weapons, but there's millions already out there," Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told "CBS Mornings" last week. "And somebody who decides to obtain one illegally, probably can."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/barack-obama-gun-ownership-growing-ideological-partisan-issue-cbs-mornings-interview/

[CanonRay]

1. Thats the understatement of the year

[Evolve Dammit]

2. what was the quote he was vilified for in PA; clinging to religion and guns? Totally true n/t

[BOSSHOG]

3. So incredibly ironic that it's almost not ironic

Those who want to codify their religious beliefs while owning a safe full of weapons of mass slaughter take umbrage and are offended by someone stating that truth.

[Evolve Dammit]

15. the common enemy now seems to be the libs and Dems.

[SouthBayDem]

4. The quote in context:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them.

And they fell through the Clinton administration and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

-- 2008 Washinton Post report, "Opponents Paint Obama as an Elitist"

[speak easy]

5. Luck ppl don't "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them"

in Texas where the jobs have been going to for the last 25 years.

[Evolve Dammit]

14. thanks!

[BeyondGeography]

6. If his goal was to say something excessively bland

He achieved it.

[f_townsend]

7. Yes, he didn't exactly come down strongly on the subject

He's still sitting on the pot, in the middle of the political road, as far as gun control is concerned.

[KPN]

8. Stating the obvious. And how do you have a dialogue with

the party that says “gee, we could ban those assault weapons but it wouldn’t do any good because there’s already millions of them out there; thoughts and prayers.”

[elias7]

9. And further, the "criminals can always get guns" argument is BS

Seems to me that mass shootings are not done by criminals or experienced gun people. I would argue that most people involved in mass shootings might be pretty clueless about finding arms if guns were not so easily accessible.

[Novara]

10. You know, I loved Obama as president, but ...

... you'd think by now he could actually say something that isn't bland in fears of alienating the other side. He was ALWAYS way too cautious and I understand why, when he was president. He couldn't come across as an "angry black man." I get it. But he's got nothing to gain by mincing his words NOW.

I suppose he can't change.

[elocs]

11. In deeply divided America, is there anything that is NOT partisan & ideological?

We're at the point now where each side feels obligated to not only disagree with the other side, but to believe they are evil and have evil intentions.
Frankly, if this were a 3rd world nation, we would be anticipating a civil war would break out at any time.

[nevergiveup]

12. I love the man but

that was extremely disappointing. I guess he too is normalizing this shit. He is going to get blow back but guess he probably already knows that and doesn't care.

[Martin68]

13. It has been an "ideological" and "partisan" issue since the NRA re-interpreted the 2nd Amendment

in the late 1970s.

[maxsolomon]

16. There's no dialogue to be had.

We're turning ourselves into armed madhouse, and nothing will be done to stop it. It's a social experiment at this point.

It's self-fulfilling: I need guns to protect myself from people with guns, who got guns to protect themselves from people with guns, and so on and so on.

Above all, the 2nd Amendment stands by to prevent any change - only liberalization of current measures.