Montel Williams is no liberal. He has been open about his conservative views and has been candid about his criticism of Barack Obama. However, Williams agrees with the President on the subject of gun violence and hopes Obama will use his influence to fix an issue most conservatives won’t even address.
After so many mass shootings that have taken place in the U.S., President Obama has gone public with his grief. Obama has vowed to remedy the problem with lax background check procedures that enables criminals to obtain weapons. The President has discussed allowing doctors to prevent mentally unstable people from getting guns and increasing restrictions on licensing.
Many conservatives, including the 2016 GOP presidential candidates, see this as a breach of individual freedoms. However, Williams supports Obama’s attempts to curb gun violence. He backs up his opinions by stating that he owns 14 guns himself, so if anyone should care, he should.
Williams believes that conscientious gun owners should agree with the President’s ideas and says it’s silly for people to think the President is going to strip them of their weapons. Williams thinks responsible gun owners should be more supportive than anyone when it comes to improving background check methods and restricting the mentally ill from obtaining guns. Williams says gun violence is largely due to weapons falling into the wrong hands and explains that the nation should also focus on providing better treatment for people with mental illnesses.
He goes on to say that he would oppose any regulation that would result in him losing his guns, but adequate background checks should make it easier for honest citizens to get guns. He realizes his opinion may not be well-liked by some gun proponents and he assures the public that he supports the Second Amendment. Because of that, he encourages gun owners to support universal background checks and the President’s ideas.
Williams has worked with many children who have survived school shootings, and their stories and pain have led him to form the opinions he has regarding gun regulations. He also states that people don’t complain about submitting an application to buy a car, so they shouldn’t complain about undergoing a background check when buying a gun.
It’s too bad that many conservatives and NRA supporters distribute fearmongering opinions and people who don’t know better believe those opinions. Many gun owners oppose any gun legislation, including universal background checks.
In Williams’ eyes, the public should stop supporting these ignorant opinions and join together to come up with appropriate ways to find a solution to gun violence. He believes the root of the violence has to do with dangerous people getting guns easily.
If those on the right and left would stop fighting and focus on the problem at hand, Williams says they would find a logical way to focus on solving the problem instead of feeding inaccurate propaganda.
Williams has a point. The President is not trying to take away people’s gun rights. He is actually trying to make sure that responsible citizens can obtain guns so everyone can feel safe knowing weapons are not getting into the hands of dangerous criminals or people with mental health concerns. The President’s plan supports the Second Amendment wholeheartedly, and conservatives and liberals alike should too.