Winter break has come to an end and like most college kids departing from the reverie of their childhood bedrooms and heading back to the realities of impending adulthood, I am less than thrilled.
But, I return with a renewed sense of familial love...and the overwhelming criticism that my writing for this website tends towards the aggressive side.
So for this article, I’ve decided to cut back on the sass factor and just lay out the facts. Quite frankly, I think they speak for themselves.
With that said, let’s talk about guns.
You wouldn’t know it from reading any of my past articles, but I’m actually not anti-gun. I come from a family in which I was taught from a young age how to use them responsibly, and respect them as the pieces of living history that they are.
But the fact that I respect their capabilities and understand their historical significance does not mean that I think they are the God-given right of every hot-head who wants to blow stuff up.
Which is why I was thrilled to learn that Obama is planning to take executive actions in the coming months to tighten gun control in this country.
What exactly those actions will entail is, as of yet, unclear, but here’s what we do know.
It's happening soon.
In his New Years Day address, the President made his first mention of these proposed restriction, saying that it was because, “I get too many letters from parents, and teachers, and kids to sit around and do nothing.”
He continued, “I get letters from responsible gun owners who grieve with us every time these tragedies happen; who share my belief that the Second Amendment guarantees a right to bear arms; and who share my belief we can protect that right while keeping an irresponsible, dangerous few from inflicting harm on a massive scale.”
He explained that he will meet with attorney general, Loretta Lynch, on Monday, Jan. 4 to discuss the options.
And though the changes were merely hinted at during his New Years Day message, his aides have confirmed that he will make the case for additional restrictions in several forums, including his State of the Union address on Jan. 12.
The plan has been in the works for months.
After October’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, OR, Obama directed his White House team to look into methods of reducing gun violence.
Over the past several months, they have met with numerous political leaders, gun safety organizations and administration lawyers to come up with an effective plan that can withstand legal challenges.
The changes will involve federal licenses for firearm dealers.
Federal law currently requires those “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms have a federal license, which requires them to perform background checks on potential buyers. However, there are exemptions for anyone who “makes occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or part of his personal collection of firearms.”
The administration plans to tighten that exemption to ensure that more gun dealers are licensed.
This is only one of the measures, though, and it is expected there will be a half dozen, if not more, proposed changes in the president’s final plan.
There will be backlash.
Correction, there already has been backlash.
Donald Trump has stated that if he gets to the White House, he will repeal any and all changes to gun laws made by the current administration, Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Sen. Ted Cruz, said Obama is just trying to distract America from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Doug Andres, a spokesman for House Speaker, Paul D. Ryan, said the new laws will infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans, and that the real problem is mental illness (a frequent cop out by the political right, who only seem to care about mental illness when their guns are on the line), and Jennifer Baker, an NRA spokeswoman, said the president is, “doing what he always does when he doesn’t get his way, which is defy the will of the people and issue an executive order.”
The majority of U.S. citizens support stricter gun laws.
A Quinnipiac University poll in December found that 89 percent of Americans supported background checks for purchases at gun shows and for online sales.
Likewise, gun owners themselves frequently support these measures. There are organizations like MoveOn.org, which is encouraging gun owners to support expanded background checks and other such measures for the reduction of gun violence.
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If you're interested in learning more, I would highly recommend watching the State of the Union Address on Jan. 12.
