Bill O'Reilly: President Obama's visit to the killing ground in Oregon

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President Obama's visit to the killing ground in Oregon

'The O'Reilly Factor': Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points 10/9

The President's journey to Roseburg shrouded in secrecy this afternoon. Families and victims alerted to the last minute that they were invited to Roseburg High School to see the President. Press denied access to the event, shut out -- strange and unusual. Cell phones confiscated by the Secret Service. And the visit was generally constructed to be hard to cover, but why? Why?

The nation would like to see how their leader's consoling those wounded and the families of the dead. What's wrong with seeing that? Perhaps the White House is sensitive to those who opposed Mr. Obama's visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's terrible. I think he's using it for his own agenda. Sure, it's nice for him to come and sympathize with the victims, but most of the victims don't want him here. Roseburg doesn't want him here. Oregon doesn't want him here. And I think he should just stay away and keep in his ten-mile square area in Washington, D.C. and leave us alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: But keep in mind that no one forced the families and victims to meet with the President. They all went voluntarily. As "Talking Points" has stated, all Americans should respect the office of the presidency, no matter who's in it. If the leader of America wants to console the citizenry, that should happen without rancor.

But Mr. Obama made a major mistake in this story in using the Oregon massacre to push his anti-gun agenda. That upset some folks in Roseburg and all around the country, and their feelings are valid.

The President has also been selective in his compassion. An illegal alien used a gun that killed Kate Steinle. No call from Mr. Obama to the Steinle family.

Thousands of guns on the streets of Chicago, hundreds of murders taking place in the minority precincts there. The President largely ignores the carnage. If he were to visit those victimized in the Windy City, he'd be there every day.

Fair-minded Americans want good public safety laws, and most will support common-sense regulations on the sale of guns, but to deny Americans the protection that comes with the second amendment is foolish policy.

President Obama believes his vision is best for America. He should sit down with me and other members of the media and answer some questions. So far, he's acting on emotion, not the facts in the gun control debate.

Only a few hundred demonstrators showed up to greet the President -- not thousands. Fox News producers report the crowd was evenly divided between those who opposed the visit and those who support it. The President himself spoke about the high school meeting for about two minutes, didn't say very much, just the usual consolation and promise to help.

Now, I wish all Americans were law-abiding and both physically and mentally healthy. I really wish that. But it's a dream. Reality is much more brutal, and leaving its citizenry without self-protection is simply irresponsible.

And that's ‘The Memo’.