President Obama said during a town hall event on Thursday that he wants to make it “a little more difficult and a little more expensive” to get a gun.
Obama fielded questions at the event, which was hosted by CNN and held at George Mason University, to discuss executive actions he announced this week to require more oversight of some gun sellers. The biggest portion of Obama’s unilateral move will require people who sell guns in person, at gun shows, or over the internet to obtain a license.
The plan, which many critics say will do little to prevent criminals from obtaining guns, does not explicitly call for an increase on the price of firearms or a decrease on their supply. But it was clear from Obama’s comments Thursday that he supports those outcomes arising from his executive action.
“We can’t guarantee that criminals are not going to have ways of getting guns,” Obama said in response to a question from a member of the audience attending the forum.
“But for example, it may be a little more difficult and a little more expensive, and, you know, the laws of supply and demand mean that if something is harder to get and it’s a little more expensive to get, then fewer people get them. And that in and of itself can make a difference,” Obama continued.
While Obama was discussing keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and people who avoid background checks when purchasing them, he did not address how that goal would be achieved without having the same effect on legal gun buyers.
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