At around 12 noon on Wednesday, President Obama revealed his plan for reducing gun violence in a nationally-televised press conference. His major ideas include 23 executive actions, as well as an outline for congressional action on the issue. Obama conceded that the most important and long-lasting changes will be those passed by Congress but nevertheless pledged support for a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to gun violence in America.
The President’s Plan:
“The President’s plan includes: (1) closing background check loopholes to keep guns out of dangerous hands; (2) banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and taking other common-sense steps to reduce gun violence; (3) making schools safer; and (4) increasing access to mental health services. Highlights of this comprehensive plan include:
- Require criminal background checks for all gun sales.
- Take four executive actions to ensure information on dangerousindividuals is available to the background check system.
- Reinstate and strengthen the assault weapons ban.
- Restore the 10-round limit on ammunition magazines.
- Protect police by finishing the job of getting rid of armor-piercing bullets.
- Give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime.
- End the freeze on gun violence research.
- Make our schools safer with more school resource officers and school counselors, safer climates, and better emergency response plans.
- Help ensure that young people get the mental health treatment they need.
- Ensure health insurance plans cover mental health benefits.”
For specific information, as well as the original source of this information, see this memo from the White House Office of the Press Secretary.
Executive Orders
“Today, the President is announcing that he and the Administration will:
- Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
- Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.
- Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
- Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
- Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
- Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
- Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
- Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product SafetyCommission).
- Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace gunsrecovered in criminal investigations.
- Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make itwidely available to law enforcement.
- Nominate an ATF director.
- Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with propertraining for active shooter situations.
- Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
- Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control toresearch the causes and prevention of gun violence.
- Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effectiveuse of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to developinnovative technologies.
- Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patientsabout guns in their homes.
- Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibitsthem from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
- Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
- Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
- Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
- Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
- Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
- Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.”
Original source: Office of the Press Secretary memo.
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The House is not expected to pass much of Obama’s proposed legislation — especially the revival of an assault weapons ban — and many Republicans have not taken kindly to Obama’s use of executive actions.
More to follow from BPR!