Obama hints at "steps" for bypassing Congress on guns
Vice President Joe Biden meets pro-gun groups in Washington. / Getty Images
No common ground for Congress, Obama on gun control
Amid mounting effort from pro-gun activists to prevent the passage of new gun laws, President Obama today pledged to press on with legislative efforts to reduce gun violence -- though he stressed there are "some steps" he can take without Congress as well.
Speaking in a press conference exactly a month after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., the president teased a "range of steps we can take to reduce gun violence" he said he'll discuss in detail later this week. But he acknowledged that he doesn't know how many of his proposals will be able to pass through the GOP-led House of Representatives, and suggested he's exploring administrative ways to avert the congressional process.
"What you can count on is, is that the things that I've said in the past -- the belief that we have to have stronger background checks, that we can do a much better job in terms of keeping these magazine clips with high capacity out of the hands of folks who shouldn't have them, an assault weapons ban that is meaningful -- that those are things I continue to believe make sense," he told reporters. "Will all of them get through this Congress? I don't know. But what's uppermost in my mind is making sure that I'm honest with the American people and with members of Congress about what I think will work."
In the wake of the Newtown shootings, in which 20 first-graders and six adult school employees were shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Mr. Obama tasked Vice President Joe Biden with developing a series of recommendations aimed at curbing gun violence. Biden, the original author of the now-expired Assault Weapons Ban, has spent the last few weeks consulting stakeholders on the issue, and Mr. Obama said the two would meet to discuss Biden's recommendations later today.
Biden has already suggested that his recommendations would include calls for universal background checks, reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban, and stricter regulations on high-capacity magazine ammunition clips. And while the hugely powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) was included in the meetings with Biden, its leadership has all but announced its intent to fight any new laws making gun regulations more stringent.
Mr. Obama said today he wouldn't let that impact his thinking on the subject.
"My starting point is not to worry about the politics. My starting point is to focus on what makes sense, what works, what should we be doing to make sure that our children are safe and that we're reducing the incidence of gun violence," Mr. Obama said.
Barring congressional consensus -- which in recent years has proven elusive even on the most uncontroversial legislation -- Mr. Obama suggested he would take executive action where possible in order to achieve his goals.
"I'm confident that there are some steps that we can take that don't require legislation and that are within my authority as president. And where you get a step that has the opportunity to reduce the possibility of gun violence, then I want to go ahead and take it," he said. He cited data gathering about gun violence -- which New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg argues has been hindered thanks to the efforts of the gun lobby -- as one of the steps that might be actionable through executive order.
Even so, Mr. Obama's options are limited without congressional consensus. Today, the president accused of those who oppose "common sense" gun safety measures of "ginning up fear" among gun owners for their own economic benefit.
"I think that we've seen for some time now that those who oppose any common sense gun control or gun safety measures have a pretty effective way of ginning up fear on the part of gun owners that somehow the federal government's about to take all your guns away. And, you know, there's probably an economic element to that," he said. "It obviously is good for business, but I think that those of us who look at this problem have repeatedly said that responsible gun owners, people who have a gun for protection, for hunting, for sportsmanship, they don't have anything to worry about."
He added: "The issue here is not whether or not we believe in the Second Amendment. The issue is: Are there some sensible steps that we can take to make sure that somebody like the individual in Newtown can't walk into a school and gun down a bunch of children in a -- in a shockingly rapid fashion?"
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GW BUSH oversaw the suffering of millions in New Orleans in KATRINA disaster!
GW BUSH increased our deficit by fighting TWO wars on the credit card, implementing the Medicare DRUG Plan on the credit card and two BIG TAX CUTS on the credit card.
GW BUSH presided over the greatest economic meltdown of the American economy since the Great Depression. GW BUSH presided over the greatest terrorist attack on the US soil since Pearl Harbor which was responsible for more than 3000 deaths. The IRAQ war was responsible for more than 4000 American soldier deaths.
GW Bush had Osama Bin Laden in his sights in Tora Bora in Afganistan but he let him escape by not providing enough troops to capture UML. He shifted focus from a legitimate war in Afganistan to an unnecessary war in IRAQ.
GW Bush turned a surplus nation into a debtor nation by advocating for so much deficit budgeting.
On 12-20-12 Terry Gross talked w Mr. Diaz about his book, "The Last Gun--how changes in the gun industry are responsible for the rise in gun violence". It's the history of the assault rifle, which was made for the US military because they're not marksmen, & wasn't to get into the civilian population. Oh, but the gun industry decided that the slow down in sales didn't give them enough profit. Congressman Scott Tiahart of Kansas puts an Amendment on Appropriation Bills because he knows that they will pass. The Amendment forbids the CDC and others to track gun violence, because the gun lobby knows that if the American People have THE FACTS the gun industry loses. Scott Tiahart is, he's one of those Fundamentalists who dominates the TEA PARTY, who want a Christian Theocracy in the U.S. using the Book of Leviticus for Rule of Law, who tells the U.S. military "you're in God's Army doing God's work; he's supposedly pro-life. NPR, Fresh Air, 12-20-2012 get the transcript or listen to the whole interview. Protect the U.S. by being informed. Guns is the same ignorance, lies, and deceit the Right Wing uses for everything. And things aren't working out with the rest of their "DEATH SPIRAL" policies and "murder for profit" alliances. How bad can that get, to where the planet is total chaos?
Planet is on a trajectory to become uninhabitable. We go over a permanent, irreversible cliff 2015 from the Keystone XL Pipeline & those tar sands spewing 70% more pollution into the atmosphere than conventional oil. They created fraud studies about the jobs the Keystone Pipeline would create, just like they do with everything else. It's only a couple thousand, temp., construction jobs. We could be growing GDP by 158% w millions of Green and Infrastructure jobs, leave THE DEBT in the dust and get a Sustainable future. (REINVENTING FIRE, rmi.org) If you really want to know how corrupt the GOP is go to Moyers & Company & watch one expose' after another since 1-13-12 & particularly 1-4-2013 w Mr. Leiserowitz from Yale about the GOP and BIG OIL's "Disinformation Campaign". There's also a couple of articles on Bill McKibbens, founder of 350.org, & he lays out all the numbers. 15 years until we reach another increase in one degree temp in Celcius. It took 100 years to get the first increase but the 2nd is coming in 15 years. Every other measurable area is also out-of-control. They've destabilized the atmosphere with all the moisture that's being driven off the warmer oceans. It means that storms like Sandy w the $70 BILLION price tag, or Irene in 2010, or Issac in 2011 that flooded around New Orleans again, or Katrina, or Bopha which hit the Philippines in early Dec 2012 will become common place. Bopha killed 2000 people and left 1 million homeless. Same thing w sea level rise. It's 60% accelerated. They were expecting 3 feet rise by 2100 & every indication now is it will be 3 feet by 2025, 60 feet by 2100. Watch the documentaries? "Chasing Ice" by James Balog. 16 cameras record the deterioration of the ICE SHEETS. One of them just receded more in 3 yrs than the previous 100 yrs. All that is becoming sea level rise or no more clean water for India. "PBS, NOVA "Megastorms--how the hurricanes listed above will be commonplace". PBS, NOVA, "Secrets Beneath The Ice"--the melting of Antarctica will account for much of that 60 ft sea level rise. PBS, Frontline's "Climate of Doubt--GOP, BIG OIL's "Disinformation Campaign". A group committed to a Campaign of DECEIT that resultantly creates nothing but "DEATH SPIRAL" policies--1) Global Warming, 2) Keystone XL pipeline, 3) "cut and gut" budget that was forced on Roosevelt causing a double-dip driving unemployment past 15% that they want to do again, 4) repeal FINANCE REFORM so derivatives stuffed w junk can damage the economy for the 4th time just like 1987 (S&L), 1998 (LTCM), 2008 (Subprime)& all their "Murder for profit" listed above; well a group that sick, that dysfunctional, that psychotic doesn't belong in positions of power at any level of government. Clean out the corruption in the U.S Congress 2014, 2016. The DAMAGE REPORT is already in on their 3 decades of lies about Global Warming--they've killed TENS of MILLIONS & there's BILLIONS in damages to be TRILLIONS by 2020. We could be growing GDP by 158% w millions of jobs, leave THE DEBT in the dust,& get a Sustainable Future but for the GOP and the corrupt corporations who own them.
Get a life, gunwackos.
Even good people drink too much alcohol at times, fight with their spouse or kids at times, or even think they are threatened at times but do they need a rifle that can kill 100 people in 100 seconds to defend themselves???
I hope Obama bans assault weapons NOW!!!! They are military weapons designed to kill men, women and children in one fell swoop... BAN THEM!
Is it time Obama did something that's already been done?
If you want put it to a national vote. Or try to put it thru congress.
But DO NOT DO THIS Obama.