As America feels the painful effects of gun violence and mass shootings, everyone seems to have an opinion on gun control.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow weighed in on the debate. Burrow said he thinks it should be more difficult to get a gun in the USA.
Burrow was asked about the issue during a mini-camp press conference.
You can see his response below.
\u201cBengals QB Joe Burrow, on gun reform: \u201cIf you\u2019re not going to outlaw everything, you\u2019ve gotta at least make it harder to get those crazy guns that everybody\u2019s using.\u201d Here\u2019s his full response, via @bengals:\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
Burrow said:
“With everything that’s going on, if you’re not going to outlaw everything, you’ve gotta at least make it harder to get those crazy guns that everybody is using.”
“I don’t think you should be able to just walk in there and buy one. You gotta be able to go through a rigorous process to be able to buy something like that, I think.”
While not mentioned by name, it’s assumed Burrow was referring to AR-15 style rifles used in shootings like the murders in Uvalde, TX. The gunman legally purchased the weapon in Texas just days before the shooting.
Burrow’s opinion was met with agreement from fans, new and old alike.
\u201c@CincyHub @Ben_Baby @Bengals G\nHooray for Joe Burrows' sanity!\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
\u201cI am now a fan of the Cincinnati Joe Burrows.\u201d— Stephen Adams \u26be\ufe0f \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Stephen Adams \u26be\ufe0f \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1655300892
\u201c@FoxNews He\u2019s right\u201d— Fox News (@Fox News) 1655300406
\u201c.@Eagles fan here, now a member of the Joe Burrows fan club too.\u201d— ChrisBrad22 (@ChrisBrad22) 1655236396
\u201cI trust Joe Burrows take more than the president\u201d— Dan (@Dan) 1655232942
\u201c@FoxNews Common sense. Good work @JoeyB.\u201d— Fox News (@Fox News) 1655300406
\u201cNot me liking joe burrows story hoping he\u2019ll notice me lmao\u201d— P (@P) 1655356271
\u201c@stevemarasco @Ben_Baby @Bengals Same but I love he is taking this stand with his platform. Lots of respect earned.\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
The response from Burrow continued, with the quarterback saying:
“Hopefully the people that get paid to make those decisions figure that out. My job is to play football, but hopefully the politicians can figure that one out.”
And it seems the outrage form the public finally started pushing politicians to ‘figure that one out.’
Reports have surfaced of a bipartisan effort to push through gun control reform with at least 10 Republican senators—enough to break the filibuster they've used to derail all other progress in the Senate.
However, it may not be enough.
While President Joe Biden pushed for sweeping reform that would ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm and require universal background checks, the bipartisan bill is more limited in nature.
Despite this, the push does reflect public opinion on support for gun control.
Burrow’s comments brought some gun rights defenders out of the woodwork, but they were quickly reprimanded for their hypocrisy.
\u201c@karpet22 @Ben_Baby @Bengals Who also happen to be the \u201cfreedom of speech\u201d crowd and masks are oppression etc.\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
\u201c@thejonathan_v @Ben_Baby @Bengals So we can assume your job is working as a twitter content creator? If that's not your job, why are we seeing your opinion here? \nAt least HE was asked for his.\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
\u201c@abigailmarone @Ben_Baby @Bengals he was asked\nI care; the majority of Americans care\nI don't want to see little children brutally gunned down ever again\nI want people out doing their grocery shopping to be safe\n\nThe more voices that call for action the better\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
\u201c@WhoDeyPsych @Ben_Baby @Bengals So we can't have sensible gun safety reform in our country because it's too complex?\u201d— Ben Baby (@Ben Baby) 1655230743
\u201c@EaseFebreez @FoxNews Says the person whose first tweet is about the guy that hosted The Apprentice \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Fox News (@Fox News) 1655300406
\u201c@jdwalks23 @FoxNews Ohio. I have bought many and out the door in less than 20 minutes. Gun shows are cash and carry, never had a background check for a gun show purchase.\u201d— Fox News (@Fox News) 1655300406
Burrow’s comments come as more public figures are pushing for gun control laws.
Uvalde born actor, Matthew McConaughey has been pushing for gun control in light of the devastating shooting.
And back in the sports world, NBA coach Steve Kerr made an impassioned plea for amending federal gun regulations.
@coyleray/Instagram