[h=3]By JARED A. FAVOLE[/h]
ReutersU.S. President Barack Obama, left, unveils a series of proposals to counter gun violence as Vice President Joe Biden looks on during an event at the White House on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled an aggressive set of gun-control measures as he launched a push for the most sweeping changes to firearms laws in nearly two decades and called on the American public to join his fight.
The president—rolling out his plan at a White House event where he was joined on stage by children who wrote him in the aftermath of the shooting spree last month at a Connecticut elementary school—urged Congress to ban certain types of semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. He also called for universal background checks for all gun buyers—a measure that would eliminate a loophole in the law that allows individuals to buy guns from nonlicensed sellers without a check.
During a press conference Wednesday, President Obama called his gun control proposals 'common sense measures' and emphasized his support of the Second Amendment, saying, "I respect our strong tradition of gun ownership." Photo: Getty Images.
Mr. Obama acknowledged that many of the proposals will be difficult to get through Congress, but he said he would use "whatever weight this office holds" to get gun laws changed and urged citizens across the country to reach out to lawmakers to bring about changes to gun laws.
He said the killings of 20 first-graders and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., demands action. "This is our first task as a society—keeping our children safe. This is how we will be judged. And their voices should compel us to change," Mr. Obama said as parents of some of the children killed stood by him. He added, "I will put everything I've got into this…but the only way we can change is if the American people demand it."
The president also unveiled 23 executive actions he signed after his remarks, including requiring the federal government to trace weapons recovered in criminal investigations and providing incentives to schools to hire health counselors and police officers. All told, the president's actions and proposals would cost about $500 million, according to a senior Obama administration official.
[h=3]Map: Gun Laws by State[/h]
[h=3]Timeline: Gun Control in the U.S.[/h]Since the American Revolution, when colonists went to war against Great Britain, the right to bear arms has been central to—and controversial in—American culture.
Take a look back over milestones in America's relationship with and regulation of firearms.
Banning certain types of weapons and high-capacity magazines, among other steps, will face a battle in Congress. National Rifle Association officials have predicted that Congress won't pass legislation to ban high-capacity magazines and a group of semiautomatic rifles often called assault weapons, and many lawmakers have said many of the president's recommendations will face strong opposition.
The president sought to blunt criticism from gun-rights groups. He said he respects the country's "strong tradition of gun ownership" but that the recent spate of mass shootings required action. "We can respect the Second Amendment while keeping an irresponsible law breaking few from inflicting harm on a massive scale,'' he said.
Shortly before Mr. Obama unveiled his initiatives, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, said he wants his state to resist any presidential order that might restrict gun rights, according to the Associated Press. Mr. Bryant said he believes any gun-control executive order by the president "infringes our constitutional right to keep and bear arms as never before in American history."
Underscoring the polarization around gun laws, the White House issued a strongly worded statement Wednesday morning in response to an NRA ad criticizing Mr. Obama for being skeptical about the gun lobby's proposal to place armed guards in schools when his daughters are protected by a Secret Service detail that carries guns.
"Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight," said White House press secretary Jay Carney. "But to go so far as to make the safety of the president's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."
On Capitol Hill, Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), said House committees with review the president's recommendations. "And if the Senate passes a bill, we will also take a look at that," he said.
Mr. Obama also urged Congress to confirm B. Todd Jones as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the main agency that oversees guns. The agency hasn't had a permanent director since 2006. Mr. Jones is currently acting director.
Some states, including New York and Maryland, have moved ahead with aggressive gun-control laws. On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law that broadens the definition of banned semiautomatic rifles as so-called assault weapons and makes it illegal to own ammunition magazines with more than seven rounds.
New York's law also requires many gun owners to renew their licenses every five years, increases background checks and expands a law requiring some seriously mentally ill people to get treatment. It also requires psychiatrists and other health-care providers to report patients who may be dangerous to themselves or others.
According to a January poll conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, about 85% of Americans favor making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks. Also, Pew found, 80% support laws to prevent mentally ill people from purchasing guns.
But other measures show much more of a divide. Just 55% support a ban on assault-style weapons, with much stronger support from Democrats, the poll found.
[TD="align: left"] Some of President Obama's Proposals [/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Requiring background checks for all gun buyers [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Ban certain semiautomatic rifles [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Require a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Prohibit manufacturing, importation, possession and sale of armor-piercing bullets [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• New gun trafficking laws with serious penalties [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Provide incentives for police departments to hire officers for schools and mental-health counselors [Something the NRA would likely support as it has called for armed guards in every school][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Direct the Center for Disease Control to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Asking Congress to provide $10 million for the CDC to conduct research on gun violence[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Launch a national responsible gun ownership program[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Nominating B. Todd Jones to be permanent director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [needs Senate confirmation; he is currently acting director][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]Source: White House officials[/TD]
Write to Jared A. Favole at [email protected]
ReutersU.S. President Barack Obama, left, unveils a series of proposals to counter gun violence as Vice President Joe Biden looks on during an event at the White House on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled an aggressive set of gun-control measures as he launched a push for the most sweeping changes to firearms laws in nearly two decades and called on the American public to join his fight.
The president—rolling out his plan at a White House event where he was joined on stage by children who wrote him in the aftermath of the shooting spree last month at a Connecticut elementary school—urged Congress to ban certain types of semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. He also called for universal background checks for all gun buyers—a measure that would eliminate a loophole in the law that allows individuals to buy guns from nonlicensed sellers without a check.
During a press conference Wednesday, President Obama called his gun control proposals 'common sense measures' and emphasized his support of the Second Amendment, saying, "I respect our strong tradition of gun ownership." Photo: Getty Images.
Mr. Obama acknowledged that many of the proposals will be difficult to get through Congress, but he said he would use "whatever weight this office holds" to get gun laws changed and urged citizens across the country to reach out to lawmakers to bring about changes to gun laws.
He said the killings of 20 first-graders and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., demands action. "This is our first task as a society—keeping our children safe. This is how we will be judged. And their voices should compel us to change," Mr. Obama said as parents of some of the children killed stood by him. He added, "I will put everything I've got into this…but the only way we can change is if the American people demand it."
The president also unveiled 23 executive actions he signed after his remarks, including requiring the federal government to trace weapons recovered in criminal investigations and providing incentives to schools to hire health counselors and police officers. All told, the president's actions and proposals would cost about $500 million, according to a senior Obama administration official.
[h=3]Map: Gun Laws by State[/h]
[h=3]Timeline: Gun Control in the U.S.[/h]Since the American Revolution, when colonists went to war against Great Britain, the right to bear arms has been central to—and controversial in—American culture.
Take a look back over milestones in America's relationship with and regulation of firearms.
Banning certain types of weapons and high-capacity magazines, among other steps, will face a battle in Congress. National Rifle Association officials have predicted that Congress won't pass legislation to ban high-capacity magazines and a group of semiautomatic rifles often called assault weapons, and many lawmakers have said many of the president's recommendations will face strong opposition.
The president sought to blunt criticism from gun-rights groups. He said he respects the country's "strong tradition of gun ownership" but that the recent spate of mass shootings required action. "We can respect the Second Amendment while keeping an irresponsible law breaking few from inflicting harm on a massive scale,'' he said.
Shortly before Mr. Obama unveiled his initiatives, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, said he wants his state to resist any presidential order that might restrict gun rights, according to the Associated Press. Mr. Bryant said he believes any gun-control executive order by the president "infringes our constitutional right to keep and bear arms as never before in American history."
Underscoring the polarization around gun laws, the White House issued a strongly worded statement Wednesday morning in response to an NRA ad criticizing Mr. Obama for being skeptical about the gun lobby's proposal to place armed guards in schools when his daughters are protected by a Secret Service detail that carries guns.
"Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight," said White House press secretary Jay Carney. "But to go so far as to make the safety of the president's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."
On Capitol Hill, Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), said House committees with review the president's recommendations. "And if the Senate passes a bill, we will also take a look at that," he said.
Mr. Obama also urged Congress to confirm B. Todd Jones as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the main agency that oversees guns. The agency hasn't had a permanent director since 2006. Mr. Jones is currently acting director.
Some states, including New York and Maryland, have moved ahead with aggressive gun-control laws. On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law that broadens the definition of banned semiautomatic rifles as so-called assault weapons and makes it illegal to own ammunition magazines with more than seven rounds.
New York's law also requires many gun owners to renew their licenses every five years, increases background checks and expands a law requiring some seriously mentally ill people to get treatment. It also requires psychiatrists and other health-care providers to report patients who may be dangerous to themselves or others.
According to a January poll conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, about 85% of Americans favor making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks. Also, Pew found, 80% support laws to prevent mentally ill people from purchasing guns.
But other measures show much more of a divide. Just 55% support a ban on assault-style weapons, with much stronger support from Democrats, the poll found.
[TD="align: left"] Some of President Obama's Proposals [/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Requiring background checks for all gun buyers [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Ban certain semiautomatic rifles [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Require a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Prohibit manufacturing, importation, possession and sale of armor-piercing bullets [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• New gun trafficking laws with serious penalties [needs congressional approval][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Provide incentives for police departments to hire officers for schools and mental-health counselors [Something the NRA would likely support as it has called for armed guards in every school][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Direct the Center for Disease Control to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Asking Congress to provide $10 million for the CDC to conduct research on gun violence[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Launch a national responsible gun ownership program[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]• Nominating B. Todd Jones to be permanent director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [needs Senate confirmation; he is currently acting director][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]Source: White House officials[/TD]
Write to Jared A. Favole at [email protected]