President Obama is in Chicago today pushing forward his second term agendas, including an increased push for new gun control measures.
Gun Control
In the forefront of Obama’s message is gun control, and his first meeting was with 16 students involved in an anti-violence program at the school he is scheduled to speak at later today. Obama, who introduced proposed new gun control laws that stemmed out of the horrific Sandy Hook School shootings, has approached the issue with renewed vigor since the shooting of Hadiya Pendleton; a teenage student who participated in Obama’s inauguration, and was shot and killed just a mile from Obama’s Chicago residence.
The President’s battle against gun violence is an uphill one, facing staunch and vigorous opposition from the National Rifle Association, lead by the groups Executive Vice President; Wayne LaPierre. In response to the President’s State of the Union Address, LaPierre said this on Thursday;
“It's not about keeping kids safe in school. That wasn't even mentioned in the president's speech. They only care about their decades-long, decades-old gun control agenda: Ban every gun they can, tax every gun sold and register every American gun owner.”
The organization has launched a substantial offense on the President, including new ad campaigns aired in recent days.
Does gun control work?
In addition to the President’s efforts to strengthen gun control laws, states like New York have already enacted some of the toughest legislation in the country. In a report comparing the quality of life between New York and Texas, where gun control is much more liberal, the report found that gun violence including murders, robberies, and assaults were all higher in Texas. Possibly related, the report also found that New York had a higher median income, more insured Americans, and a lower poverty rate then the Lone Star State.
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