REACTIONS: OBAMA SIGNS EXEC ORDERS & CHALLENGES CONGRESS TO PASS GUN LAWS
Susanne Posel
On Wednesday, President Obama spoke to the American public, explaining how his executive orders and proposed legislation for the Congress would redefine the rights outlined in the 2nd Amendment.
Obama said because “there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil, if there’s even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.”
One of Obama’s executive orders will give “law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals and the public health community some of the tools they need to help reduce gun violence.” By executive decree, Obama will:
• Create an all-encompassing federal background check system
• Grant schools funds to hire armed guards
• Develop national emergency preparedness plans
• Authorize psychologists to report perceived threats of violence from patients
• Authorize CDC to conduct scientific research into mental health and violence
• Research video game influence on children with regard to violence
While circumventing the power of Congress in one breath, Obama added that his executive orders “are in no way a substitute for action from members of Congress.”
Obama expects Congress to pass legislation requiring:
• Universal background check on all gun purchases
• Restore the Clinton ban on assault rifles
• Ten round limit on gun magazines
• Ban on the further manufacturing of assault weapons
• Strict prohibition on gun sales whether for criminal trafficking or private sale
The executive orders signed will cost $500 million and guarantee that Congress and the Obama administration will clash. Senator Richard Blumenthal supports Obama, saying that “we need to be able to accomplish in steps what we can.”
House Representative Carolyn McCarthy does not believe that “an outright ban” on assault weapons will be passed through Congress. McCarthy explained: “[Senate Majority Leader] Reid has said he doesn’t know whether he has the votes (for an assault weapons ban). There’s heavy lifting, so are we going to waste time on heavy lifting? Or are we going to try to work on doing something that could actually get passed?”
Bob Goodate, House Judiciary Chairman, will consider Obama’s recommendations to the Congress. Goodate doubts that the plan set forth by Obama will be successful. He said: “Good intentions do not necessarily make good laws . . . actually be meaningful in preventing the taking of innocent life and that they do not trample on the rights of law-abiding citizens to exercise their Constitutionally guaranteed rights.”
In anticipation of the difficulties expected in the Congress, Obama signed 23 executive orders mandating certain restrictions and circumvented Congress’ power to oversee the legislative appropriations as their right afforded them by the US Constitution.
The National Rifle Association responded to Obama’s executive orders and demands of Congress on Wednesday in a statement: “We look forward to working with Congress on a bi-partisan basis to find real solutions to protecting America’s most valuable asset – our children. Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation. Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.”
Prior to Obama’s announcement of his plan to deal with gun control in America, House Representative Steve Stockman said that he would file articles of impeachment should Obama use executive orders to mandate his version of gun control.
Stockman maintains that executive orders are “unconstitutional” and ““infringe on our constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms.” He went on to say: “I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke at the “Gun Policy Summit” at John Hopkins University to push his sweeping agendas on restriction of the 2nd Amendment. Bloomberg said: “There are steps that President Obama can take without congressional approval at any time he chooses with just one stroke of the pen.”
Bloomberg’s speech came just before Obama’s announcement that executive orders would give him the power to force the American public to adhere to his agendas on disarmament. In his talk, Bloomberg said:
• A four tiered plan to strengthen existing gun laws
• Empower the DoJ to prosecute citizens falsifying background check applications
• Give police unlimited access to federal background check databases
• Implement an encompassing national gun background check database
Bloomberg released a report entitled, “Access Denied” which is a scathing expose on pro-gun lobbyists – specifically the NRA. In the report, Bloomberg’s agenda of taking the right of the NRA to lobby against restrictive gun control laws is demonized. One example is the allegation that they have prevented federal funding for research on gun violence. The report claims that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) have not been able to allocate money to prove that guns promote violence since the early 1990s.
Bloomberg states that: “Now is the time for Congress to buck the special interests of the gun lobby that endanger our children.”