Since September 11, 2001, less than 100 Americans have been killed by terrorist attacks on United States soil, reported CBS News. However, gun violence has killed tens of thousands of Americans. President Obama remains feeling helpless on gun control.
Obama told the BBC that he felt “the most stymied” on gun control and that he was “frustrated” that America doesn’t have “commonsense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings.” Interestingly, the gun control issue somewhat overlaps with America’s domestic terrorism issue because most domestic terrorist attacks are committed by “lone wolf,” right-wing extremist Americans.
CBS News noted that Obama’s statements were coincidentally recorded hours before the shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana that killed two people and injured nine others.
Much of Obama’s frustration is understandable because the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby is rich and powerful. Any time the gun control debate heats up, the NRA increases its efforts and spends millions of dollars to block any sensible new gun laws.
Update: It was recently discovered that the Lafayette shooter, John Russel Houser, praised Adolf Hitler, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the Westboro Baptist Church. Houser fits the profile of a right-wing domestic terrorist. He also had a history of violence and mental instability. Yet, Houser was still able to obtain a gun.
