For those of you that are unsure about what the President discussed today, or didn't read the transcript, here is my abridged version (and I'm paraphrasing and quoting directly, so pay attention because I switch back and forth):
Paraphrasing - Hello Everyone, I'm standing with a few of the kids that wrote to me asking for something to be done. Because they can't vote, I am their voice.
Paraphrasing - Here is some of what I can legally do through Executive Actions (and what I'm about to sign):
1) Toughen current gun laws
2) Give law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals and the public health community some of the tools they need to help reduce gun violence.
3) Allow government agencies to once again study the best ways to reduce gun violence, and whether violent media also plays a part.
MY NOTE - You can read all 23 of the Executive Actions at the bottom of this post.
Paraphrasing - Here is what I can't do, but what Congress has authority to do (and they need to hear your voices and from you since we are a government by representation, or it won't be done):
1) Pass universal background checks into law
2) Restore a ban on assault style weapons (and this is a direct quote - "And, by the way, so did Ronald Reagan, one of the staunchest defenders of the Second Amendment, who wrote to Congress in 1994, urging them -- this is Ronald Reagan speaking -- urging them to “listen to the American public and to the law enforcement community and support a ban on the further manufacture of [military-style assault] weapons.”")
3) Congress needs to help, rather than hinder law enforcement by toughening laws around criminals who sell guns to other criminals
Another direct quote - "This will be difficult. There will be pundits and politicians and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical, all-out assault on liberty -- not because that’s true, but because they want to gin up fear or higher ratings or revenue for themselves. And behind the scenes, they’ll do everything they can to block any common-sense reform and make sure nothing changes whatsoever." Translated by me - there are people out there that make tons of money every time you buy a gun, and so they don't want to see tougher access passed.
And another direct quote - "This is the land of the free, and it always will be. As Americans, we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights that no man or government can take away from us. But we've also long recognized, as our Founders recognized, that with rights come responsibilities. Along with our freedom to live our lives as we will comes an obligation to allow others to do the same. We don’t live in isolation. We live in a society, a government of, and by, and for the people. We are responsible for each other. The right to worship freely and safely, that right was denied to Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The right to assemble peaceably, that right was denied shoppers in Clackamas, Oregon, and moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado. That most fundamental set of rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- fundamental rights that were denied to college students at Virginia Tech, and high school students at Columbine, and elementary school students in Newtown, and kids on street corners in Chicago on too frequent a basis to tolerate, and all the families who’ve never imagined that they’d lose a loved one to a bullet -- those rights are at stake. We’re responsible." My take - There are other rights that we all have that are just as important as the second Amendment, so let's make sure they all work together and not against each other.
MY THOUGHTS - In all of the above I don't see anywhere where he is stating that all guns be outlawed. I see him recognizing the second Amendment and recognizing its validity. I do see him asking for us (as did the children who wrote to him) to try real hard to get Congress to act and for reasonable measures to be taken by Congress. And I see a tack that shows acting on 3 fronts - the 3 fronts that I've posted about before - tighten current laws, strengthen mental health support services, and limit what guns can be made available.
Here are the 23 exec actions in case you want to read them all:
1. "Issue a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system."
2. "Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system."
3. "Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system."
4. "Direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks."
5. "Propose rule-making to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun."
6. "Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
7. "Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign."
8. "Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission)."
9. "Issue a presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations."
10. "Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement."
11. "Nominate an ATF director."
12. "Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations."
13. "Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime."
14. "Issue a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence."
15. "Direct the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies."
16. "Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes."
17. "Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities."
18. "Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers."
19. "Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education."
20. "Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover."
21. "Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges."
22. "Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations."
23. "Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health."
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