Gun control advocate Igor Volsky on Wednesday told Hill.TV that he was surprised at how many gun owners agreed that the standard of gun ownership should be raised in the U.S. when he talked to people across the nation to do research for a book.
Volsky, the founder of group Guns Down, is promoting his new book, “Guns Down: How To Defeat The NRA And Build A Safer Future With Fewer Guns.”
“In writing ‘Guns Down,’ I traveled across the country talking to gun owners,” Volsky told hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on “Rising.”
“What surprised me was how many agreed with me about this idea of raising the standard of ownership because a lot of gun owners are responsible gun owners. They don’t have a problem getting a license to get a gun.”
There has been an increased call for stricter gun control laws over the past year amid a string of mass shootings at public locations like schools and places of worship.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has pushed back against the demands, saying it is a fundamental right for Americans to own firearms.
Volsky argued that most NRA members don’t necessarily agree with the rhetoric coming out of the organization.
“What you often hear from the NRA, which is the loudest voice in the room, are the opinions and beliefs of the gun industry who fund significant parts of the NRA, not of most of the members of the NRA who actually agree with this idea that our country is a bit out of whack when it comes to guns,” he said.
“There [are] certain rights that you have when it comes to owning a gun, but there’s also community interest in keeping your community safe,” he continued. “All I’m arguing is that before you get a gun, you should be able to show your community that you can handle that gun responsibility.”
— Julia Manchester
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