Obama sets up fight with Congress over guns
2013-01-16 22:07
Washington - President Barack Obama on Wednesday launched
the most sweeping effort to curb US gun violence in nearly two decades,
announcing a $500m package that sets up a fight with Congress over bans on
military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines just a
month after a shooting in Connecticut killed 20 school children.
Obama also signed 23 executive actions, which require no
congressional approval. But the president, speaking at the White House,
acknowledged the most sweeping, effective actions must be taken by lawmakers.
"To make a real and lasting difference, Congress
must act," Obama said. "And Congress must act soon." He added,
"I'll put everything that I've got into this."
Obama was joined by children who wrote him letters about
gun violence in the weeks following the Connecticut shooting. Families of the
children killed in the shooting, as well as survivors, were also in the
audience.
The president appealed to the nation's conscience, but
his announcement promises to set up a bitter fight with a powerful pro-gun
lobby that has long warned supporters that Obama wanted to take away their
guns.
The US has the highest rate of gun ownership of any
country in the world, and pro-gun groups see any move on gun restrictions as an
offense against the right guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the US
Constitution.
Critics counter that the country's founding fathers never
could have foreseen assault weapons more than two centuries ago, when guns were
intended for the common, not individual, defence, guns were often stored in
community areas and rifles fired one shot at a time.
"This is the land of the free and the home of the
brave, and always will be," Obama said, acknowledging the right to possess
and bear firearms. "But we've also long realised ... that with rights come
responsibilities."
Gun control
Emotions have been high since the Connecticut shooting,
which Obama has called the worst day of his presidency.
He largely ignored the issue of gun violence during his
first term but appears willing to stake his second term on it now.
He'll have to contend with looming fiscal issues that
have threatened to push whatever he proposes aside, at least for a while.
Gun control advocates also worry that opposition from the
powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies in Congress will be
too great to overcome.
The NRA released an online video on Wednesday that called
Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for having armed Secret Service agents
protect his daughters at school while not committing to installing armed guards
in all schools.
The NRA insists that the best way to prevent more mass
shootings is to give more "good guys" guns.
The White House called the NRA video "repugnant and
cowardly”.
The public appears receptive to stronger federal action
on guns, with majorities of Americans favouring a nationwide ban on
military-style rapid-fire weapons, according to a new AP -GfK poll.
Three-quarters of Americans said they reacted to the Connecticut shooting with
deep anger, while 54% said they felt deeply ashamed it could happen in the US.
The poll also shows 51% said they believed laws limiting
gun ownership infringe on the public's right to bear firearms.
Weapons ban
White House officials, seeking to avoid setting the president
up for failure, have emphasised that no single measure - even an assault
weapons ban - would solve the scourge of gun violence. But without such a ban,
or other sweeping Congress-approved measures, it's unclear whether executive
actions alone can make any noticeable difference.
The president asked Congress to renew the ban on
high-grade, military-style assault weapons that was first signed into law by
then-president Bill Clinton in 1994, but expired in 2004.
Obama also called for limiting ammunition magazines to 10
rounds or fewer, and he proposed a federal statute to stop purchases of guns by
buyers who are acting for others.
The president also called for a focus on universal
background checks. About 40% of gun sales take place without background checks,
including those by private sellers at gun shows or over the internet, according
to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The president's framework is based on recommendations
from Vice President Joe Biden, who led a wide-ranging task force on gun
violence. Beyond the gun control measures, Biden also gave Obama suggestions
for improving mental health care and addressing violent images in video games,
movies and television.
Public safety
States and cities have been moving against gun violence
as well. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed into law the toughest
gun control law in the US, and the first since the Connecticut shooting. The
law includes a tougher assault-weapons ban and provisions to try to keep guns
out of the hands of mentally ill people who make threats.
The NRA criticised the bill, saying in a statement,
"These gun control schemes have failed in the past and will have no impact
on public safety and crime."
In Washington, it's unclear how much political capital
Obama will use in pressing for congressional action.
The White House and Congress will soon be consumed by
three looming fiscal deadlines, each of which is expected to be contentious.
And the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has warned the White
House that it will be at least three months before the chamber considers gun
legislation.
Congress, in any case, can move slowly. The chair of
the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Wednesday he'll begin hearings in two weeks
on gun safety proposals. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, a gun owner, said he
envisions a series of hearings examining violence in popular media and how to
keep guns safe, among other topics.
Leahy's plan could take more time than Obama has urged.
Obama's long list of executive orders includes the
following:
Ordering tougher penalties for people who lie on
background checks and requiring federal agencies to make relevant data
available to the federal background check system.
Ending limits that
make it more difficult for the government to research gun violence, such as
gathering data on guns that fall into criminal hands.
Requiring federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered
in criminal investigations.
Giving schools flexibility to use federal grant money to
improve school safety, such as by hiring school resource officers.
Giving communities grants to institute programs to keep
guns away from people who shouldn't have them.
- AP
