Barack Obama Addresses Gun Control : The Freedom to Arm and the Freedom from Violence

Abstract

On December 14, 2012, twenty children and six staff members were fatally shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This tragic event renewed debate about gun control in the United States. Urged by public opinion calling for stricter gun control measures, President Barack Obama decided to address this issue in earnest. For several months after the Newtown shootings, Obama delivered a series of speeches emphasizing the need for stricter gun control. His efforts failed, however, when the U.S. Senate defeated the gun control legislation that Obama supported. In this article, I examine how Obama attempted to garner public support for stricter gun control legislation and why his attempts did not lead to the desired results.