Obama uses the N-word and calls for more gun control

WASHINGTON—While most of the media world obsessed over President Barack Obama’s recent use of the N-word, the larger debate in the aftermath of the recent shooting in Charleston involves the future of gun laws in America.

Since last week’s tragedy, Obama has focused on racism and gun laws as the main reason for the shooting. During a podcast interview on Friday, recorded in the garage of comedian Marc Maron, Obama dropped the socially unacceptable racial epithet: “Racism, we are not cured of it. And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say n----r in public.”

White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest said Obama did not plan in advance to use the word, but Obama did plan to use the interview as an opportunity to push for more stringent gun laws.

“If there is legislation that Congress can pass that would even slightly reduce the number of incidences of gun violence in this country, then why on earth wouldn’t they sign it,” Earnest said during Monday’s White House press briefing.

But Republicans aren’t budging on their defense of Second Amendment rights.

“The question remains how we keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them without violating the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “There’s ample time to learn more about what happened and debate ways to prevent these kinds of senseless acts.”

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a likely GOP presidential contender, said Obama should have called on Americans to fill churches and lift up their prayers. He noted the president did not discuss religion or the need to pray for brothers and sisters hurting in South Carolina.

“I’m not for stopping law-abiding citizens from being able to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Jindal said. “But now’s not the time; there are children wondering, why do things like this happen? There are families at home trying to understand how does this happen in a church?”