WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is launching an administration-wide effort to curb gun violence, underscoring the growing political consensus over tightening gun restrictions following the horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.
Obama is tasking Vice-President Joe Biden, a longtime gun control advocate, with spearheading the effort. In remarks from the White House on Wednesday, Obama will outline a process for pursuing policy changes following the school shooting, though he is not expected to call for specific measures.
The president has vowed to use “whatever power this office holds” to safeguard the nation’s children after Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Twenty children and six adults were killed at the school by a gunman carrying an arsenal of ammunition and a high-powered, military-style rifle.
The White House sees some urgency in formulating a policy response to the shooting, even as Obama and his top aides are consumed with averting the “fiscal cliff” before tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January. The incident has prompted several congressional gun rights supporters to consider new legislation to control firearms, and there is some fear that their willingness to engage could fade as the shock and sorrow over the Newtown shooting eases.
Many pro-gun lawmakers also have called for a greater focus on mental health issues and the impact of violent entertainment. Obama also prefers a holistic approach, with aides saying stricter gun laws alone are not the answer.
“It’s a complex problem that requires more than one solution,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. “It calls for not only re-examining our gun laws and how well we enforce them, but also for engaging mental health professionals, law enforcement officials, educators, parents and communities to find those solutions.”
Still, much of the immediate focus after the shooting is on gun control, an issue that has been dormant in Washington for years. Obama expended little political capital on gun issues during his first term, despite several mass shootings, including a movie theatre attack in Aurora, Colo., in the midst of this year’s presidential campaign.
The White House has begun to signal that Obama may be more proactive on gun issues following the murders of the elementary school youngsters, ages 6 and 7.
Carney said Obama was “actively supportive” of legislation to reinstate a ban on assault-style weapons that expired in 2004. The president long has supported a ban, but exerted little effort to get it passed during his first term. Obama also would support closing a gun show loophole allowing people to buy arms from private dealers without background checks and would be interested in legislation limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, Carney said.
The policy process Obama was announcing Wednesday was expected to include input from the departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The heads of those agencies met with Obama at the White House on Monday.
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Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
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Do you own stock in gun factories? I do not have gun, but I feel safe in my town!
The population of the US is around 312,000,000 currently, with approximately 270,000,000 firearms owned by civilians…..that means that Over 3/4s of the citizens own guns, yet less than 1% commit crimes via guns……….so 99% of the population’s rights and freedoms should be taken away by the wrong doing of less than 1% of the population??? Where’s the logic in that?
The right to arms has nothing to do with hunting, and has everything to do with history. Every government in history has turned authoritarian. The founders of the constitution knew this. The second amendment is about forming a civilian army “a well armed militia” to protect society from loosing the right to protect themselves. Dictators love unarmed populaces. It is not the guns, it’s the culture. Blaming guns, is really elementary
People are always trying to shift the blame, and not take responsibility! This entire “sense of entitlement” is societal. The tools used to damage, hurt, maim or kill are irrelevant The root of the problem is society and mental illness “I’m willing to do whatever it is for my child” Blah blah blah Put your money where your mouth is ….if it means arming yourself and protecting them with a gun, so be it. People are such hypocrites too…..they “support the troops” on overseas missions to stop dictatorships overseas, because people live in fear, women get raped constantly, and governments can do whatever they please, yet, they want to take the same freedoms and rights away from themselves! Unbelievable!
1. Banning something does not mean it will not make it into people’s hands (ex the ban on drugs)….especially guns, which are manufactured all over the world
2. By taking law abiding citizen’s guns away, all you’re doing is a “free for all” for criminals…now they’ll be Guaranteed the upper hand, because people will be rendered defenseless!! You see, a gun can give someone a fighting chance to live, and protect themselves, their friends and family….INCLUDING INNOCENT CHILDREN……when you take that right away, this will make things worse …Note…schools are “Gun Free Zones” THAT’S the reason they are the target of these lunatics…THEY KNOW PEOPLE WON”T HAVE THE MEANS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES!!!