After Charleston shooting, a call for unity: Your Say Interactive
The best of reader comments from the Web on the shooting in Charleston, S.C.
In the wake of the tragic mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., that left nine dead at a historic black church, President Obama reinforced a call for unity that was already apparent among the residents of the city: "The outpouring of unity, and strength, and fellowship and love across Charleston today from all races, and all faiths, all places of worship indicates the degree to which those vestiges of hatred can be overcome."
According to a Gallup Poll, the percentage of Americans who see race relations as one of the more important problems facing the U.S. is on the rise. But support for gun control, which Obama also called for in his speech today, is waning. More than half of Americans (52%) want their right to own guns protected.
Paste BN's readers expressed a similar view and questioned on social media, in response to the president's statements, whether gun restrictions would prevent racially motivated hate crimes.
Below, a look at the national conversation through graphics; reader response to the tragedy and the president's call for gun control; and informal surveys that allow you to voice your view (to see comments and surveys on mobile, please visit the full site).
Blacks affected more by hate crimes
Are gun restrictions the answer?
"We don't know all the facts," Obama said today, "but we do know once again innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun."
The president followed that statement with a call for tighter gun laws.
"Let's be clear. At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries ... with this kind of frequency."
Less than half of Americans agree with him, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only 46% say that it's important to control gun ownership. When broken down by race, more blacks and Hispanics want gun restrictions than whites.
What people are saying in Charleston