President Barack Obama plans this week to present 19 separate executive orders on gun control and will press for comprehensive legislation to expand gun-purchase background checks, lawmakers made privy to the president’s agenda said Monday, according to the
New York Times.
The biggest congressional fight on gun control in nearly 20 years — which also includes efforts to ban assault weapons and high-capacity clips — could be launched as soon as Wednesday, the Times reports.
But considering the president’s expected inability to get acceptance for his plan through Congress, Obama will not shy away from using executive orders for restrictions he deems necessary, according to the Times.
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Those actions are expected to include limits on guns imported from overseas, pressure on federal agencies to improve sharing of mental health records, and directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research on gun violence, according to lawmakers informed of the president’s plans, the Times reports.
At a Monday news conference— on the one-month anniversary of the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. — the president said a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden had “presented me now with a list of sensible, common-sense steps that can be taken to make sure that the kinds of violence we saw at Newtown doesn’t happen again.”
“My starting point is not to worry about the politics,” the president said. “My starting point is to focus on what makes sense, what works.”
Obama’s consideration of using executive powers is already invoking severe congressional disdain.
Texas Rep. Steve Stockman Monday threatened impeachment over the potential gun crackdown. “I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary,” Stockman said in a statement.
Gun-rights groups — including the National Rifle Association, and the lawmakers they support with millions of dollars at election time and who see gun rights as a defining issue in their districts — are expected to vehemently oppose any unilateral effort by Obama.
Rep. Jackie Speier, Democrat of California, said Biden had informed lawmakers Monday that there are “19 independent steps that the president can take by executive order.” Speier said the executive action is part of the “most comprehensive gun safety effort in a generation.”
Though there is a consensus among gun control advocates the time is right to restrict assault weapons and their high-volume magazines, there is also awareness that intensifying background checks is the easier path to take.
Many Senate Democrats will be wary of voting on any effort to curb access to guns or ammunition, because of the political implication, the Times reports.
Gun legislation is likely to begin in the Senate, however, because the House is controlled by Republicans, many of whom oppose new gun restrictions.
Note: Should Obama, Biden Ban Semi-Automatic Guns? Vote in Urgent Poll
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