A man asked President Obama at a townhall meeting why in Chicago, his hometown — which has an “embarrassing murder rate” — why we can’t just “round up these thugs, these drug dealers and gang members and hold them accountable?” Or, the man proposed, alternately why can’t we give the “good people” of Chicago “access to firearms” so they can defend themselves? Obama, who has said his inability to pass meaningful gun control legislation has been one of the big disappointments of his presidency, replied:
“The notion that I, or Hillary, or Democrats, or whoever you want to choose, are hell-bent on taking away folks’ guns is just not true, and I don’t care how many times the NRA says it. I’m about to leave office. There have been more guns sold since I’ve been president than just about any time in U.S. history. There are enough guns for every man, woman, and child in this country and at no point have I ever proposed confiscating guns from responsible gun owners.”
