Obama Unveils his Executive Orders on Gun Control

By Greg Campbell
TPNN Contributor

President Obama gave his much-anticipated remarks concerning gun control options today. His remarks began by framing the discussion not as a matter of unconstitutional acts or as a discussion of executive authority; he began the discussion by framing this as a debate- who wants to protect children and who doesn’t.

However, the issues surrounding gun control is far from being so simple. While everyone wishes to protect children, America must ponder the ineffectiveness of gun control measures and the constitutionality of “common sense” infringements on individual rights to bear arms.

Tugging at the heartstrings of America, Obama touted letters he received from children who were concerned with gun violence. He read from them and then moved swiftly to the topic at hand- what he intends to do concerning gun violence.

“So I’m putting forward a specific set of proposals based on the work of Joe’s task force. And in the days ahead I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality.

Because while 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.

And I’m gonna do my part. As soon as I’m finished speaking here I will sit at that desk and I will sign a directive giving law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals and the public health community some of the tools they need to help reduce gun violence.”

Obama then demanded that Congress act to create a system for universal background checks. While private sales are legal in many states, gun dealers are required to run the federal background check.

Obama then moved onto the issue on everyone’s mind by stating that Congress needed to pass an “assault weapons” ban. Using the loaded-term “military-style assault weapons,”  He stated,

“Second, Congress should restore a ban on military-style assault weapons, and a 10 round limit for magazines.

The type of assault rifle used in Aurora, for example, when paired with high capacity magazines has one purpose: to pump out as many bullets as possible as quickly as possible, to do as much damage using bullets often designed to inflict maximum damage.”

Obama finished by stating,

“Now, let me be absolutely clear: Like most Americans, I believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. I respect our strong tradition of gun ownership and the rights of hunters and sportsmen. There are millions of responsible, law-abiding gun owners in America who cherish their right to bear arms for hunting or sport or protection or collection… That’s what these reforms are designed to do. They’re commonsense measures. They have the support of the majority of the American people.”

However, in the month since the first hinting of a possible crackdown on gun rights, gun sales throughout the country have skyrocketed to record-breaking highs. The NRA has seen over 250,000 new memberships in the 30 days after Newtown. In a recent Gallup poll, only 4% claimed guns were “the most important issue” affecting Americans. While President Obama is fond of claiming that whatever actions he is taking is supported by the people, the numbers have shown otherwise.

In all, President Obama signed 23 executive orders today, addressing a range of topics from linking Obamacare provisions with Second Amendment issues to the streamlining of federal organizations to share information and run background checks on seized guns.

For a complete list of the executive orders signed today, please click here.