President Barack Obama took gun control into his own hands Tuesday, issuing an executive order to expand background checks to crack down on gun violence across the country.
A tearful Obama addressed media in the East Room of the White House, flanked on both sides by gun control activists and families of the victims of gun violence.
“Every single year, more than 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns,” said Obama, adding “people are dying” as a result of gun violence.
Obama became emotional when recalling the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut which left 20 children and six staff members dead.
“First graders,” he recalled. “First graders...and from every family who never imagined their loved one would be taken our lives by a bullet from a gun...every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad.”
Rumors swirled of an executive order in recent weeks following a mass shooting/terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California which left 14 dead and 22 injured. On Monday, the White House announced Obama’s executive order, saying the new provisions were necessary because Congress had failed to take action to alleviate gun violence across the U.S.
Obama’s executive order will expand background checks on potential gun buyers, requiring the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to clarify what it means to be “in the business” of selling guns.
That means gun sellers -- even those selling guns at gun shows or online -- would be required to conduct more background checks on gun buyers. Until now, not all sellers haven’t needed federal licenses to sell guns or conduct background checks on customers.
Background checks will also change. The White House plans to encourage state and local agencies to divulge more information about mental illnesses and criminal histories. As a result, background checks will likely become more detailed and more people could be prohibited from purchasing a gun.
The FBI will also be hiring over 200 more staff members to help speed up the background check process. Current law says gun sales can go forward if a background check isn’t completed within three days.
The president’s actions come on the heels of several mass shootings and a rallying cry from gun control groups across the country to tighten up the nation’s gun laws.
"We are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency," Obama said. "It doesn't happen in other advanced countries. It's not even close."
Gun rights groups weren’t too pleased over the move, however, accusing Obama of “political exploitation” and a “lack of seriousness” for the timing of the announcement.
“The proposed executive actions are ripe for abuse by the Obama Administration, which has made no secret of its contempt for the Second Amendment,” said the National Rifle Association, which currently has 5 million members nationwide. “We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be harassed or intimidated for engaging in lawful, constitutionally-protected activity – nor will we allow them to become scapegoats for President Obama's failed policies.”
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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