GunsObama unveils comprehensive proposal to curb gun violence

President Obama earlier today presented proposed the most comprehensive gun-control policies in generations. He also initiated twenty-three separate executive actions aiming to curb what he called “the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

“If there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there’s even one life that can be saved, we’ve got an obligation to try,” he said.

Vice President Biden said that “we have a moral obligation” to diminish the prospect that tragedies such as last month’s massacre in an elementary school in Connecticut could happen again.

“I have no illusions about what we’re up against,” Biden said, but added: “The world has changed, and it’s demanding action.”

In addition to executive measures, the president also called on Congress to pass legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines for civilian use, and to require universal background checks for all gun buyers.

Obama’s proposals are based on a report prepared after a month-long work by an interagency task force led by Biden and tasked with developing a comprehensive approach to the nation’s gun violence. The group held twenty-two meetings with representatives of more than 220 organizations, including those representing law enforcement, faith leaders, activists against gun violence, gun rights advocates, sportsmen, and members of the entertainment and video game industries.

The Washington Post quotes Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to say that his panel would begin examining gun-control measures in two weeks. “In our hearings, we will ensure an open forum for a constructive discussion about how we can better protect our communities from mass shootings, while respecting the fundamental right to bear arms recognized by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement. “As President Obama has made clear, no single step can end this kind of violence. But the fact that we cannot do everything that could help should not paralyze us from doing anything that can help.”

The Post notes that administration officials said Obama’s approach is comprehensive and is aiming to curb not only mass shootings with semiautomatic weapons but the thousands of deaths from regular handguns that saturate America’s cities.

The main point of Obama’s plan:

Assault weapons ban
The 1994 assault-weapon ban, which banned nineteen types of military-style assault weapons, was allowed to expire in 2004. The White House says Obama’s weapons ban will be tougher than the measure which expired in 2004, and that it will dove-tail with a bill being drafted by Senator Dianne Feinstein ( D-California).

Ban on large magazines
One things recent mass shootings have in a common is that the killers used high-capacity magazines which allowed them to fire off dozens of rounds without reloading. CBS News reports that Obama will push for magazines to be limited to ten bullets.

Universal background checks
At the center of the president’s proposal is universal background check for criminal and mental problems in the gun buyer’s past. Background checks are not currently required at gun shows, where about 40 percent of guns sold in the United States are being bought.

Federal funding of national background checks
Obama proposal contains increased federal funds to improve the national background check system for gun purchases. The funds will be used to improve the background checking process and make it more comprehensive and efficient.

Research on gun violence
The president’s proposal will allocate funds for research on the relationship between guns and violence. One of the successes of the NRA and its supporters in Congress has been the blocking of government efforts to collect information on gun violence and its causes. The Center for Disease Control’s budget for firearm injury prevention has decreased by 96 percent in the past two decades, and Justice Department’s budget for research on gun violence has similarly been cut: the department funded thirty-two studies on gun violence in the early 1990s, but has funded no studies on gun violence in the past four years.

Mental health
As part of the president’s plan, the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) is working on rule which will implement the Mental Health Parity Act. The act equalizes mental health services and access with other “traditional” forms of medical care, expanding the coverage and availability of mental health services to vulnerable populations.

School safety
The president’s plan calls for stronger measure to fight bullying, including more training for teachers, counselors, and principals and providing mental health resources to the perpetrators and victims.