Speaker

In this section of the study guide, we will provide some information about Barack Obama, who, as President of the US, often spoke of common-sense gun safety reform.

Barack Hussein Obama II (b. 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th President of the United Sates from 2009 to 2017. He was also the first African American to hold the office. Moreover, Obama taught courses in constitutional law at the University of Chicago, from 1992 to 2004, a fact which he also mentions in his speech: “- I taught constitutional law, I know a little about this” (ll. 94-95).

Barack Obama is part of the Democratic Party, which is one of the two major political parties in the US, along with the Republican Party. Democrats advocate for liberalism, social and economic equality, and also for the welfare-state which advocates policies for the well-being of citizens. On the contrary, the Republican Party advocates for conservatism and focuses on the rights of the individual rather than on the rights of the community (including an individual's right to possess and carry arms).

The ideological conflict between ...