(SIOUX CITY, IA) - The President is rolling out a sweeping package to address gun violence. It includes new gun laws that would require action from Congress as well as steps the President is taking on his own.
After the president's speech, we wanted to know how Siouxland felt about his ideas. Some agree with the President's proposal to ban assault weapons while others completely disagree.
"When you say assault weapons, I don't know what that means. Fully automatic weapons are already illegal. Semi-automatic weapons come in a large variety. So I'm leery of banning something that to me is ill-defined at this point," said gun owner, Sarah Custack.
"They're just trying to take control of the people. Once the guns are gone, then the people are gone. That's just the way it is. They tried it in the United Nations. Now they're trying it through this. They'll use any excuse even to bring out little children, prancing them out there just using them to try to get people's emotions. I have as much emotions as anyone else. Don't like to see anyone killed, but the government is driving this insanity. It's on both sides of the aisle: Democrat and Republican both," said Ed Treadway, also a gun owner.
"I don't know why we would need assault weapons on the street. I see absolutely no purpose for them. Get rid of them. Let's be done with it. I don't think we need those at all," said mother, Jamie Hayworth.
President Obama also pitched a few other ideas including a universal background check.
"I think that a standardized background check can be a good thing. As far as banning any weapons, I'm not particularly in support of that. I think that a lot of the efforts really should go back to why are we so desensitized to violence in the first place?," said Custack. "And second of all, what do we do with people who have mental health issues and really need help. The resources just aren't really there anymore since the state hospitals have been abandoned. So I think that's a bigger issue for us quite honestly."
"Why not have a universal background check on people who want guns? If people want them, there's obviously a reason for that. Why not just check out who they are? They don't need it immediately. So let's see what's in their background and make sure they're stable people and not going to out and try to kill somebody, etc," said Hayworth.
"The mental health problems we're having. I think this criminal element always access to guns and they'd like to disarm the law-abiding citizen, but the criminal health element, they need to address that because there's too many people that are on drugs. I mean even prescription drugs that they're just not sane. And they need to work on that more than just disarming people," said Maxine Treadway.
You can voice your opinion our Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiouxlandNews
