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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Guns- Executive Action needed to protect Second Amendment for law abiding Americans

President Obama must act to prevent gun violence in America. To talk about gun violence but do nothing to end the public health dangers of the growing numbers of morbid incidents, is irresponsible leadership. Moreover, prevention measures at amy level of regulation will protect American from those who seek to abuse Second Amendment rights. In other words, if ordinary people can buy bigger guns than law enforcement personnel own, then terrorists and those intent on sedition can do likewise.

Many Americans become paraoid about loosing their Second Amendment rights to own guns, as though weapons are essential to their basic survival. Meanwhile, one gun doesn't satisfy those who make a point of having one to wear and others to display, like trophies. Regardless of how many guns a person owns, the physicial reality is that only one gun with one bullet is required to kill any target, be it human, or otherwise. 

On the other hand, if oridnary people are permitted to buy the same, or even more deadly kinds of armament, as the military or law enforcement (as is now the case), the reality is that people of evil intent will use Second Amerndment rights to destroy the very government that allows gun ownership, in the  first place.

Therefore, using public safety logic, it makes perfect sense to protect the rights of people to own guns by creating barriers against those who will misuse the privilege to create carnage. 

It's a counterintuitive argument, ie "protect Second Amerndment rights by regulating guns", but the logic is a win-win. Prevent terrorists, and those intent on murder or sedition from using guns to destroy our basiic right to life, liberty  and the pursuit of happiness.
It sounds counter intuitive but to protect 2nd Amendment rights to own guns means to regulate who is athorized to buy them. It's becoming a national security issue.

It certainly  makes sense to me. Hopefully, President Obama will take executive action to prevent the growth of gun violent carnage before his last State of the  Union address coming up in Janaury.

I suspect Americans will be pleased to learn about the President's intention to use Executive Action to prevent growing gun violence. After all, if guns were "germs", like influenza or ebola, even  the US Congress would demand a public health response. It's difficult to understand how Second Amendment zealots don't understand that guns kill,, just like untreated germs. Therefore, unregulated guns must be treated like a public health danger. Otherwise, as deaths by gun vilence grow, the ownership of deadly weapons could destroy the very "right" the Second Amendment advocates are trying to protect. 

CNN reprots By Jim Acosta and Kevin Liptak:

President Barack Obama is expected to announce in the coming days a new executive action with the goal of expanding background checks on gun sales, people familiar with White House planning said.

Described as "imminent," the set of executive actions would fulfill a promise by the President to take further unilateral steps the White House says could help curb gun deaths.

Plans for the action are not yet complete, and those familiar with the process warn that unforeseen circumstances could delay an announcement. But gun control advocates are expecting the new actions to be revealed next week, ahead of Obama's annual State of the Union address, set for January 12.

Although the White House wouldn't comment directly on the exact timing or content of Obama's executive orders, the spokesman Eric Schultz said that the President expected a set of recommendations on unilateral action to arrive at the beginning of the year.

He said Obama was "expressing urgency" for a list of steps he can take on his own after high-profile incidents of gun violence at the end of this year.

"It is complicated. That's why it's taken some time for our policy folks, our lawyers, and our expects to work through this and see what's possible," Schultz said.

A spokeswoman for the (politically powerful) National Rifle Association (NRA) said the group had no comment. Previously, the gun rights group told CNN that Obama's "gun control agenda was rejected by Congress. Now, he's doing what he always does when he doesn't get his way, defying the will of the people and using executive action." (Excuse me???? Listen up NRA! It's not the will of the American people to see mass killings on nearly a monthly basis, murders are consuming our national identity and allowing terrorists to buy guns!)

The group said at the time that Obama had his "wish list of gun control," in California but "it didn't prevent the San Bernardino attack."

"The fact is, the President's gun control agenda will only make it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to self-defense," NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker.

Gun control advocates and White House officials say the focus remains on the so-called "gun show loophole," which allows certain sellers of guns -- at gun shows and elsewhere -- to avoid conducting background checks before making sales.

Months after the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school massacre that claimed 26 victims, the then-Democratic majority Senate rejected a similar proposal.

Congress would still need to act in order to make background checks fully universal. But advocates and administration lawyers have struck upon a provision in the law that could allow for Obama to expand the background check requirement to additional sellers.

Federal law currently requires all individuals "engaged in the business" of selling guns to obtain a license and conduct background checks on buyers. But others who only make occasional sales or are selling firearms from a personal collection are exempted from the background check requirement.

Gun control advocates say Obama could take action himself by issuing a regulation that provides expanded guidance on who falls under the "in the business" standard.

One group, the Michael Bloomberg-helmed Everytown for Gun Safety, has provided recommendations to the White House that include creating a test for assessing who must become licensed to continue selling guns. Factors would include volume and speed of sales, and whether or not the seller relies on advertising to sell guns.

The group also recommended Obama define a gun in a "personal collection" as having been in the seller's possession for at least a year.

Before leaving for his winter vacation in Hawaii, Obama met with Bloomberg at the White House to discuss gun control.

Aside from the background check provision, people familiar with Obama's plans say his new gun control announcement will include new funding for government agencies to better enforce existing gun laws.

CNN's Chris Frates and Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.

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