From WNYC in New York, this is on the media. I'm Bob Garfield.

And I'm Brooke Gladstone.

The United States of America is not the only country on earth with violent or dangerous people.

We are not inherently more prone to violence.

But we are the only advanced country on earth that sees this kind of mass violence

erupt with this kind of frequency.

On Tuesday, President Obama finally made good

on his repeated threats to try and take our guns away.

Or at least that's what some pundits and would-be presidents would have you believe. The word that President Obama is

once again going to abuse his power to try to seize our guns sadly surprises nobody.

Moreover, declared Fox News as Andrea Tinteros, the president's tears upon recalling

the Newtown massacre were of the crocodile variety. I would check that podium for like a raw

onion or some no more tears. I mean, I just, it's not really believable. I mean, and the award goes too.

We are an award season. But that's immaterial,

as well as moronic. What matters is two days later, he took his impassioned to plea for action

on what he called common-sense gun safety measures on the road in a televised town hall

held in Fairfax, Virginia. If we can combine gun safety with sensible background checks and some other steps,

we're not going to eliminate gun violence, but we will lessen it.

In both of his appearances this week, the president stressed the need for action from citizens

on behalf of gun reform, but he did not shy away from giving credit for obstruction

where he thought credit was due. Here he was on Tuesday. The gun lobby may be holding Congress

hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage. The gun lobby and specifically its

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