Obama: 'This was a pretty shameful day in Washington'
(CNN) - President Barack Obama lashed out Wednesday at those in the U.S. Senate who voted against a compromise proposal to expand background checks on firearms sales, saying those who defeated the legislation "decided it wasn't worth it."
He blamed the defeat of the deal on "the gun lobby and its allies," saying those against the legislation "willfully lied" about its provisions.
"All in in all, this was a pretty shameful day in Washington," he said, as families who lost loved ones in the Newtown school shooting stood around him. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in a mass shooting, also stood by his side.
He said "we can do more" to impose stricter gun laws and warned that "if this Congress refuses to listen to the American people ... the real impact is going to have to come from the voters."
He urged people to tell their senators they were disappointed by the vote.
"Those who care deeply about preventing more and more gun violence will have to be as passionate and as organized and as vocal as those who blocked these common sense proposals to keep our kids safe," he said.
"I see this as just Round One," he added.
Mark Barden, the father of a Newtown school massacre victim, said he and others will return home "disappointed but not defeated." He appeared before Obama spoke in the White House Rose Garden.
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90% percent public support for these laws is obviously incorrect,and using children at any time for the sympathy vote,is tacky and unethical!
"Obama: 'This was a pretty shameful day in Washington'"
No, it was a great day–the Constitution won.
I want to know where the POTUS and his followers are getting his 90% of people support these bills. We do not support these bills as it is plain to us that this is just the first step in your gun control attack. There are FEDERAL laws regarding background checks so this is just more rhetoric. Keep out of our business. 80 million gun owners in this country and 5 million NRA members and my guess is his polls came from San Francisco and New York. This isn't over until we get our country back. Focus on common sense mental health assistance and focus on closing our borders. Focus on our economy and quit spending tax payer money for your private parties and vacations. How about instead of going to Denver to make stump speeches about gun control you deal with North Korea and our economy. How about instead of focusing your attention on why the bills didn't pass, focusing on why they shouldn't and learn from that. We all feel pain for the tragedy that happened in Newtown, but none of these laws are going to stop it. Make reporting mental health issues easier for doctors and counselors. Quit hiding behind HIPPA and politically correct crap. It's that kind of stuff that is getting people killed, not the guns. The gun is an inanimate object, you have to deal with the societal issues that are causing the people to pick up the guns and use them. It has nothing to do with the tool used! Look at Boston, tragic, but we are blaming the bombers, not the pressure cookers! That is where the blame needs to be placed, on the person, not the object!
>>> He blamed the defeat of the deal on "the gun lobby and its allies,"
The "allies", of course, being about 200 million Americans. Democrats HATE democracy.
You'd think the people of Washington, would be used to being ashamed. They've done absolutely nothing to be proud of in so long, shame has to be the only emotion they recognize.
Very proud of my senator for voting against this bill. WTG. Talk about props and tantrum throwing in a person that is supposed to lead.Maybe if the likes of Buden stop spending hundreds of thousands on hotels and Air Force travel I could take the current administration serious. Sequestration of the people not those in DC.
Did he bring Brian Terry's Family? How about some of the Mexican families hurt by his criminal activity?
The President needs to realize that people don't want more ineffective gun laws. He needs to realize that many gun-rights advocates have listened to a lot of people propose stupid ideas, based upon ignorance of both current law, firearms technology, and crime statistics. They've also heard time and again, people on the pro-ban side tell people than they want an incremental approach until they can get complete bans. That worries gun owners. Expanding a background check system to force more people through dealers (since non-dealers cannot use the NICS) was not a great idea. The DoJ does not regularly prosecute under the current law, even with clear violations. Generating more paperwork and costs for the average gun owner won't help that.
Uncle Joe does not look happy..
More shameful is the fact that President Barrack Hussein Obama did not express the same level of indignation, anger, or resolve to capture the culprits of the Boston bombers, as he did for his failed gun law. This is nothing more than a veiled attempt to suppress the 2nd Amendment.
I contacted my Senator. I told him to vote no on the bill.
The only shameful thing is him and his lying jesters.
Dude, did Obama just give a speech without a teleprompter while wearing a flag lapel pin? Now what is FoxNews gonna talk about?
It was a great day in Washington, Barry! The voice of the people was heard, we don't want your stinking gun control anymore than we wanted your ridiculous health care. I hope that the voters do remember this, any senator that voted for your bill needs to be booted ASAP. My Constitutional rights are not for you to trifle with, nor are they subject to the whim of congressmen. That was the point of a Bill of Rights, Harvard must have different classes for affirmative action students.
I live in Flint Michigan, which if you don't already know, has the highest crime rate in the nation right now. It saddens me to no end that people value their money, and their political weight over the lives of their fellow human beings... I'm with you, Mr. President; It was a pretty shameful day indeed...
It's a "shameful day" when he doesn't get his way/ He threatens stricter provisions in the future as a petulant child would. I pray to God above that he does take to the voters. There are over 80,000,000 gun owners in the country. A very, very small number of them use guns in crimes. The rest of us just tinker with our guns, shoot a grop or two at the target range and hunt the same game every year. Yes, bring it to the voters; we're tired of liberals telling us they know best how we should live.
As long as the Dear Leader mouths such stupid comments as "common sense proposals to keep our kids safe" you know he's lying like a rug. These proposals had absolutely nothing to do with keeping kids safe and they would not have prevented Sandy Hook. The Dear Leader knows this. What he wants is people control, not gun control. And now he's pouting like a little kid who didn't get his way. And just like a little kid, look for him to spin bigger lies next time.
"the real impact is going to have to come from the voters."
Yup. Though the result may not be what the democrats expect.
Maybe more folks BS detectors are going off?
Interesting how the web sites of the democrats who voted against gun control are suddenly down.
Shameful?! SHAMEFUL!? this is democracy in action! the senate voted, and didnt buy you useing dead kids as propaganda for knee jerk reactionary legislation!
Guns arent the problem, they've NEVER been a problem. people being sissies and thinking 'feelings' trump rights, and thinking criminals will obey these laws is the problem!
Learn 3 dimensional thinking, then come back and call something shameful. You useing those kids for your own agenda is shameful! Use stats and facts, not sob stories.
But you won't because facts and stats do not support the anti-gun argument.
Now we find out just today that there no assault weapons were used in Sandy Hook. What suspicious timing, don't you think?
Maybe it will still come out ok. I am sure another senator or house member will write another bill and it will be better. Then maybe it will pass. We can't predict the future ya know I can say with a lot of certainty that this will be in the spotlight again. It is a very complicated subject and will be hard to address properly.
4 hours an no comments on this. Just shows you how this legislation was viewed as doing nothing concerning preventing another Newtown. Exercise your right to carry arms as a responsibility. View carrying a firearm as you view your responsibility to vote.
Just because people don't agree with your attempt to strip us of our rights, do not mean we are not compasionate. All of the mass shootings were tradgic but none of these proposals would keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Criminals do not obey laws. All any of the proposals would do is affect law-abiding gun owners and future law-abiding gun owners.
Obama, the government worked. If the senators that voted this down were scared of election results, they would have voted it in you fool.