To the editor:

A recent headline reads: “Obama cheers on fearless students of Parkland.”

Fine and dandy, but what about the children in countries that use child soldiers?

In 2009, not long after Obama became president, he waived provisions in the Child Soldiers Prevention Act that allowed for U.S. aid to continue for countries that were known to use child soldiers. Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Rwanda. The waiver was done in the ever ubiquitous and often unsubstantiated interest of national security.

Today the irony in his efforts to be a part of domestic policy change and what he carried out as president is tragic at best. What is significant between both domestic and global firearm proliferation policy, one might ask? The answer is a child’s life and all children should be protected. If we truly care about the lives of children and if the U.S. has a policy domestic or otherwise contributing to their deaths, there can be no exceptions, even in the name of national security.

When we see President Obama advocating for sensible gun laws let’s not forget the acts the U.S. committed under his command in its role to fund the actual placement of weapons of war in the hands of children. President Obama needs to answer for his role in arming children and measure that against his credibility when we hear him speak today.