The White House announced it will unveil President Obama’s promised executive orders Tuesday morning on “common sense” gun control, but Second Amendment advocates and Republicans in Congress say “not so fast.”
They’re gearing up for a battle that will extend to the legislative branch and the courts.
Obama is expected to announce his unilateral plans to work around Congress to rein in gun sales and “make our communities safer,” according to a White House statement that appears to borrow the exact talking points of Michael Bloomberg’s Every Town For Gun Safety. He plans to deliver remarks at 11:40 a.m. EST Tuesday from the East Room. The president also plans to pitch his ideas at a nationally televised town hall Thursday with Anderson Cooper on CNN.
On Monday evening, the White House released a memo titled, “Promoting Smart Gun Technology.” The memo ordered the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to “conduct or sponsor research into gun safety technology that would reduce the frequency of accidental discharge or unauthorized use of firearms, and improve the tracing of lost or stolen guns.” The White House also instructed the departments to “explore potential ways to further [the technology’s] use and development to more broadly improve gun safety.”
In the memo, Obama said he directed the Department of Justice in 2013 to review gun safety technologies “such as devices requiring a scan of the owner’s fingerprint before a gun can fire.”
As WND reported, Frank Miniter, author of “The Future of the Gun,” has warned that mandatory smart-gun technology could make every existing gun in the U.S. illegal.
Also, under the plan announced by the White House:
- Obama plans to expand the definition of a licensed gun dealer to include anyone who sells firearms at gun shows and online. He argues the move will close a purported “legal loophole” that lets gun buyers bypass background checks by purchasing firearms through trusts and corporations.
- Legal barriers will be removed so states can share information on Americans disqualified from gun ownership due to mental health reasons.
- The FBI will hire more than 230 new examiners to process background checks 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Obama plans to ask Congress to authorize $500 million to fund increased access to mental health care.
Obama insists his actions are within his legal authority and supported by “the overwhelming majority of the American people, including gun owners.”
But if Obama acts without Congress’ approval to expand background checks to person-to-person gun transfers among fellow gun enthusiasts, he will in effect be laying the foundation for a national gun registry, critics say. And they’re preparing to push back hard against any such measures.
“If you think Obama is going to stop now, you are badly mistaken. This is only the beginning,” Alan Gottlieb, executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, told WND.
“President Obama is determined to take away our Second Amendment rights before he leaves office. He has made a public promise to enact his gun control agenda with or without Congress,” Gottlieb said. “Now it appears he is starting to make good on his promise through executive orders. This is a direct assault on our Second Amendment rights.”
Gottlieb said if Obama follows through with this assault, he should expect SAF and other groups to mount a vigorous legal challenge.
“We intend to bring a lawsuit against to the Obama administration if he follows through on his executive orders and regulations against our constitutional and civil rights,” Gottlieb said.
Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., said Republicans in Congress will attempt to cut funding for any executive orders on gun control, but the legislative body has already given up much of its leverage by passing the omnibus budget bill just before Christmas.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/obama-executive-actions-on-guns-coming-tuesday/#TYLbGO6HA4iPOoFL.99