Twitch streamer HasanAbi gave an interview to the BBC regarding gun laws in the U.S. during his broadcast yesterday.
Hasan is a political commentator, having previously worked as a journalist and producer on The Young Turks, an American left-wing and progressive news commentary program on YouTube, and as a columnist for HuffPost.
Hasan is known among his fans for not being afraid to share his left-wing political views and discuss controversial topics. U.S. gun laws are one such topic that is on the rise following a large number of shootings across the country, including one at a Texas elementary school in May in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.
The interview with the BBC took place at the end of his livestream yesterday, and moments before it started, Hasan showed his viewers his concern about leaving his image of Queen Elizabeth II with Barack Obama in view.
The opening question of his brief interview was about whether there could be changes to the U.S. gun laws, to which Hasan responded: “There’s always been real momentum to try and enact some kind of change with regards to gun violence in this country, but unfortunately I’m a little more pessimistic than [the UK].”
He said he believes that even with some small changes to narrow gun ownership, “the gun manufacturers are proportionately too powerful of an industry and the gun lobby is incredibly powerful with their lobbying efforts,” which makes it incredibly difficult for stricter gun laws to be put in place.
Hasan was also asked about his views on what his fans were saying on the issue.
“A lot of people on the ground, like real people, are of course traumatized by the events… “What the people want in America and what the politicians end up doing are two completely different things,” Hasan said.
At the end of the interview, Hasan revealed that he doesn’t think he’s got off to a good start, but he believes he believes he’s had a “strong finish,” which includes an explanation of how Americans can feel that their guns are part of their identity.
Hasan is currently one of the most-viewed and most-subscribed-to streamers on Twitch, where he covers news, plays a variety of video games, and discusses politics from a socialist perspective.
