In a response made on a Tumblr Q&A event on Tuesday in the White House, US President Barack Obama expressed his dismay at the increase of school shooting incidents and lamented the inability of the government to reduce gun-related violence in the country, especially in schools. In an event organized by Tumblr founder, David Karp, President Obama addressed the Congress' inability to create laws that would reduce gun-related crime.
In recent weeks, the US has been marred with mass shootings in Isla Vista where 7 students, including the gunman were reported dead, in a Las Vegas Walmart where two officers and a bystander were shot dead by a couple with anti-government views, in a Seattle university leaving 1 dead and 3 injured, and very recently, in a high school in Oregon where 2 students, including the gunman, were among the slain. In 2012, President Obama also delivered a speech during the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting that claimed the lives of 26 people; he referred to the December 2012 shooting as the "worst day of his presidency".
"Our levels of gun violence are off the charts," the president said. The question was asked by a student from USBC where the Elliot Roger, the perpetrator of the Isla Vista shootings, open fired.
An excerpt of his response follows:
"People ask me what I'm proudest of and what are my biggest frustrations as president. My biggest frustration is that this society hasn't been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do damage. We're the only developed country where this happens. And it happens weekly. Our levels of gun violence are off the charts."
Obama further rejected the notion that mental health is the reason behind mass shootings. He says, "it's not the only country that has psychosis, and yet we kill each other in these mass shootings at rates that are exponentially higher than anyplace else. What's the difference? The difference is these guys can stack up a bunch of ammunition in their houses." He also adds, "the US does not have a monopoly on crazy people."
