Obama: I'm Not Going to Take Anyone's Guns Away

That's what he said in his remarks to the IACP as reported by The Hill:

“Some of you are watching certain television stations or listening to certain radio programs, please do not believe this notion that somehow I’m out to take everyone’s guns away,” he told the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

“Every time a mass shootings happens, one of the saddest ironies is suddenly the purchase of guns and ammunition jumps up because folks scared into thinking that, ‘Obama’s gonna use this as an excuse to take away our Second Amendment rights,’” he added. “Nobody’s doing that."

"We’re talking about common-sense measures to make criminals don’t get them, to make sure background checks work, to make sure that we’re protecting ourselves.”

He went on to claim that his proposals would protect the lives of law enforcement and held up Chicago's gun laws as the reason that national laws should be tightened, but did not mention that Chicago is one of America's most dangerous cities even though it has some of the nations most restrictive gun laws.  Obama and the gun ban lobby counter that most of the guns used in crime in the windy city come from out of state.  But a quick look at ATF trace data indicates that is simply not true.  Illinois is the largest source state for firearms used in a crime and traced in Illinois.  Even when you add up all of the other states, about half of the firearms traced originally came from Illinois.

Obama also included what has become his standard line about gun sales:

“It is easier for a lot of young people in this city, and in a lot of your communities, to buy a gun than buy a book,” he said. “It is easier in some communities to find a gun than to find fresh vegetables in a supermarket. That’s a fact.” 

The NRA immediately responded to Obama's remarks with this video from Wayne LaPierre: