Less than two weeks after unveiling several recommendations for increased gun control, President Barack Obama is letting his constituents know that he understands the cultural divide.
In an interview with The New Republic, Obama refers to the "reality" of urban and rural differences on the guns issue.
"If you grew up and your dad gave you a hunting rifle when you were ten, and you went out and spent the day with him and your uncles, and that became part of your family's traditions, you can see why you'd be pretty protective of that," the president said. "So it's trying to bridge those gaps that I think is going to be part of the biggest task over the next several months. And that means that advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes."
Obama added to that perspective by admitting that he has fired a gun.
"Up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," he said.
Back on Jan. 16, Obama placed the gun control responsibility in the hands of Washington, delivering a series of executive orders. His plans ranged from criminal background checks on all gun sales, to a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, to a 10-round limit on all ammunition magazines.
"To make a real and lasting difference, Congress must act," Obama said. "And Congress must act soon."
For the full interview with Obama, head over to The New Republic.
CORRECTION: A previous photo caption in this story incorrectly listed the year of Obama's gun control press conference as 2012.
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