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President Obama and Vice President Biden will hold a press conference today at noon on the administration’s new gun proposals in response to the Sandy Hook shooting.
President Obama and Vice President Biden are scheduled to unveil a package of proposals designed to reduce gun violence. They will make the announcement at an event in the South Court Auditorium at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday.
“They will be joined by children from around the country who wrote the President letters in the wake of the Newtown tragedy expressing their concerns about gun violence and school safety, along with their parents,” the White House said.
While the content of the proposals is not entirely clear, an assault weapons ban is believe to be included.
Obama’s broad effort to reduce gun violence will include proposed bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines as well as more than a dozen executive orders aimed at circumventing congressional opposition to stricter gun control…
The broad package Obama will unveil will also include efforts to stop bullying and boost availability of mental health services.
But Congress would have to approve the bans on assault weapons and ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets, along with a requirement for universal background checks on gun buyers. Some gun control advocates worry that opposition from Republicans and conservative Democrats, as well as the National Rifle Association, will be too great to overcome
Some still fear these initiatives will get lost in the budget battles and the momentum from the Sandy Hook shooting will fade.
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On the other hand, I think it’s important to a comprehensive debate for those of us who’d like to ban and seize guns to speak up, if only to move the debate back to some rational center. Sure, there are the ‘cold, dead hands’ folks who believe like Charlton Heston did. But there are some of us who’d like to take your guns away. Let’s talk about the broad range of gun opinion, not only the center and the wacky right. Let’s not start every conversation with the gun nuts by saying, “No one’s talking about seizing your guns.”
Because some of us are okay with seizing your guns, and we deserve a voice too. We certainly deserve the opportunity to speak, and to provide the widest range of opinion on the topic. If there’s going to be compromise among all those who have an opinion, all those with opinions need to speak up, and our opinions need to be respected.
Let’s respect Americans who don’t begin to understand the need for civilian ownership of assault weapons, or large ‘collections’ of handguns, or armor -piercing bullets. Let’s allow people who want to not only ban some kinds of weapons, but seize existing weapons, our say.
Because only with a truly full debate will we understand the full spectrum of American opinion about guns.
These proposals of Obama’s don’t go nearly far enough to make me happy, and I’ll say so. Partly because my voice deserves to be heard, but partly to balance the other side of the discussion that thinks these proposals go way too far.
The fact that President Obama is doing anything about guns, after a first term record that was objectively pro-NRA, is something new. Maybe he’s tired of going to memorials for gun massacre victims (Newtown was his fourth).
How about we take the guns away from the police and the soldiers as well, or at least apply the same restrictions to both them and “civilians”? Seriously, it seems to work in Britain and elsewhere.
When we talk about gun violence, we might as well start with the state-authorized violence.
Wonder what’s in the PATRIOT Act and other recent legislation that could allow an executive order on firearms?
That’s an excellent point, considering that the aggressiveness police armaments is said to be in response to what the “bad guys” have.
Much ado about nothing. Obama will “cave” on the assault rifles ban and capitulate his way to, at best, broader background checks. NOTHING else will or, for that matter, CAN be done. The time to enact gun control has come and gone LOOOONG ago.
I love your post and share your opinion. Now, referring to my #7,aint; nothing gonna change, EVER, when it come to guns in the USA. Excepting bigger and badder guns.
Pay no attention to those 12.2 million unemployed….
Okay, yes, that. I’m happy to move the Overton Window in that direction if possible. And I’m not alone.