On Tuesday, Jan. 5th at 11:45 a.m. at the White House, President Obama announced that he will be using executive action to fix the gun control problem in the United States.
Since Obama’s tenure, mass shootings took place in Sandy Hook, Charleston and most recently, San Bernadino.
In attendance was the former U.S. Rep. from Arizona Gabby Giffords, a survivor of a mass shooting five years ago this week.
As one of the most advanced countries in the world, the United States is the only first-world nation that faces frequent mass shootings annually, according to statistics from SUNY Oswego and Texas State University, which covered the period of 2000-2014.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that over 30,000 Americans have been dying from gun deaths, which include “suicide, domestic violence, gang shootouts [and] accidents,” said Obama. Last year there were 325 mass shootings from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st., according to gunviolencearchive.org.
suicide, domestic violence, gang shootouts [and] accidents,”
said Obama.
When it comes to accidents, most occur when children under the age of 5-years-old get their hands on loaded guns. In 2015, Missouri had five incidents in which toddlers either shot themselves or others. There were at least 43 cases throughout the United States where a toddler with a gun wounded himself, someone else, died or killed someone.
If a child can’t open a bottle of aspirin, we should make sure that they can’t pull a trigger on a gun,”
said Obama.
Despite efforts of anti-gun control lobbyists and the NRA to steer the conversation by scaring gun owners, the president wants to reduce gun violence without violating the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
The president made it a point to establish that the closing of loopholes found in online purchases of guns, from gun shows and unlicensed gun sellers will only be preventing terrorists, criminals, and the mentally unstable from getting their hands on guns.
Criminals and terrorists are exploiting the loophole in gun shows…20 children were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary,”
said Obama, but
this is not a slippery slope for mass confiscation [of guns].”
While anti-gun lobbyists, the NRA and most Republicans blame mental illness as the real issue to mass shootings, the president offered up a solution to those that are troubled by expanding treatment for mental health with $ 500 million.
The president wants to make it harder for criminals and terrorists to buy guns by updating background checks for the 21st century, creating effective gun enforcement and making sure that all gun sellers, whether online or at a gun show are licensed. Otherwise, they will face federal prosecution.
When it comes to lost and stolen guns, the president mentioned the development of modern weapons with trackers that also come with fingerprint technology as a replacement for what is currently in the market. According to Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm statistics, 10-15% of these weapons are used for crimes.
Many have to live with a disability, or without the love of their lives,”
said Obama.
The process to help the mentally ill, to modernize background checks, and mass market smart weapons will be difficult, but
just because its hard, that’s no excuse not to try,”
said Obama.
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