In President Obama‘s final year in the White House, he’s loading up to go hard against the proliferation of guns in America—specifically, limiting the number of guns in America by taking executive action.
The President said this past Friday [January 1, 2016] he will meet with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday to review how to move beyond Congress and use White House powers to reduce gun violence and the acquisition of guns, since Congress has apparently “done nothing” to make meaningful change on this issue. He emphasized that coming into the new year he has “unfinished business” on this issue, signifying it’s a priority to him and his administration.
“I get too many letters from parents and teachers and kids to sit around and do nothing,” said Obama.
Closing gun show loopholes will be a priority. After the Newtown tragedy, there was a concerted effort to close loopholes on selling guns without sufficient background checks. Obama directed his White House team a few months ago to explore ways he could reduce gun violence and he’s now expected to focus on using executive actions to tighten regulations on small-scale gun sellers, according to published reports. It is likely such changes would result in more sellers having to conduct specific background checks, but it’s doubtful Obama would completely close the “gun show loophole” in its entirety, which allows for individuals to buy firearms at these venues and shows around the country without a check.
President Obama pointed out on Friday his renewed efforts and new plan follows the third anniversary of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults while attending class.
Earlier attempts proved unsuccessful in the aftermath of the massacre, failing to get enough support for passage from Senate Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
“All across America, survivors of gun violence and those who lost a child, a parent, a spouse to gun violence are forced to mark such awful anniversaries every single day,” Obama said last Friday. “Yet Congress still hasn’t done anything to prevent what happened to them from happening to other families.”
We will see what President Obama will be able to get done during his town hall tomorrow. This is indeed a legacy issue for him.
Here’s some Hip Hop inspiration for the Prez from the Hit Squad and Redman.
