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It was not long after the shooting at a spa in Atlanta that another horrific shooting occurred, prompting public figures to speak out again to push for gun reforms. Former President Barack Obama is among those figures, calling for stricter gun laws following the second mass shooting that has occurred recently.
The former president released a joint statement with former first lady Michelle Obama, condemning the shooting at Boulder, Colorado that left 10 people dead. In the statement, the Obamas called out the tolerance that has occurred for the shootings, describing the incidents as “random, senseless acts.” The shooting at Boulder came just 10 days after the shooting at a spa in Atlanta, Georgia that left eight people dead, six of whom were of Asian American descent, and highlighted the problem of violence against the Asian American community.
“It is long past time for those in power to fight this epidemic of gun violence to do so. It will take time to root out the disaffection, racism, and misogyny that fuels so many of these senseless acts of violence,” said the Obamas in the statement. “But we can make it harder for those with hate in their hearts to buy weapons of war,”
“We can overcome opposition by cowardly politicians and the pressure of a gun lobby that opposes any limit on the ability of anyone to assemble an arsenal. We can, and we must,” said the Obamas.
The House passed HR8 earlier in the month that would expand background checks on all commercial gun sales. The House also passed HR116 that would be able to close the loophole called the “Charleston Loophole,” which would allow some firearms to be transferred by licensed gun dealers before the required background checks are done.
In other news, it does not seem surprising that Obama is still keeping in touch with his former-vice president-now-president Joe Biden. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that the former colleagues still keep in touch, consulting with each other on a wide array of issues. Obama and Biden were president and vice president for eight years in the White House.
“They were not just president and vice president,” Psaki told the press. “They are friends.”
