Last night’s debate question about gun violence did little to clarify what the two candidates would do about gun control. Their responses disappointed many viewers, including Stephen Barton, a 22-year-old survivor of the Aurora movie theater shooting in Colorado. Barton issued a statement lauding the discussion over gun violence, but pointed to the lack of specifics in both candidates’ responses.
“The demands of 270,000 Americans for President Obama and Governor Romney to address gun violence broke through during tonight’s debate. I am glad that a concerned citizen asked about guns — but sadly, there were no real answers,” Mr. Barton explained. “We are going to keep demanding a specific plan from both candidates to end gun violence.”
It was surprising to many that a question about gun violence would be raised in a national forum considering politicians have shied from either end of the gun control spectrum – the two stances of protecting the right for Americans to own guns or controlling, or as some are calling for, limiting, gun ownership. But with the constant news of mass shootings in 2012, moderator Candy Crowley chose an audience member’s question about the issue of gun violence, asking what would be done to limit the availability of assault weapons and keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
President Obama immediately acknowledged the Aurora tragedy, citing his meeting with a mother who laid at the bedside of her her son, who had been shot in the Colorado movie theater. The President went on further to state that we should enforce the laws that are already in place, and called for “a comprehensive strategy” and “a broader conversation” to reduce gun violence.









