President Obama sheds tears to announce gun control efforts, Paul Ryan says this won’t trump second amendment
President Obama says that America faces a “gun violence epidemic” as he gets emotional, revealing an executive order taking “a series of common-sense executive actions” to reduce gun violence Tuesday — the first among the measures are tighter rules on background checks for gun ownership.
“First graders,” he said while speaking about Sandy Hook, his eyes drifting to a distant place and becoming red with tears. The president wiped his eye and paused to regain his composure. “Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad,” he said.
“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can’t hold America hostage,” Obama said. “Congress still needs to act. The folks in this room will not rest until Congress does.”
Obama conceded Tuesday that “it won’t happen overnight, it won’t happen during this Congress, it won’t happen during my presidency” while announcing that he is directing his law enforcement agencies and other parts of the government to do what they can without Congress. “Once Congress gets on board with common sense gun safety measures,” he said, “we can reduce gun violence a whole lot more. But we also can’t wait.”
Obama will seek to expand the number of gun buyers who are subject to criminal background checks by clarifying existing law. He will also hire more personnel to process background checks, direct officials to conduct more gun research, encourage more domestic violence prosecutions and order better tracking of lost guns, White House officials said.
House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, released a statement in response to Mr. Obama’s actions. “From Day 1,” he said, “the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding. He knows full well that the law already says that people who make their living selling firearms must be licensed, regardless of venue. Still, rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.
“No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment. We will conduct vigilant oversight. His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts. Ultimately, everything the president has done can be overturned by a Republican president, which is another reason we must win in November.”
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