Posted on 12/21/2012 9:40:04 AM PST by pabianice
A Message from President Obama about Your Petition on Reducing Gun Violence
In the days since the tragedy in Newtown, Americans from all over the country have called for action to deter mass shootings and reduce gun violence. Hundreds of thousands of you have signed petitions on We the People.
I'm writing you today to thank you for speaking up, to update you on an important development, and to encourage you to continue engaging with the White House on this critical issue.
First, you should know that President Obama is paying close to attention to the public response to this tragedy. In fact, he sat down to record a message specifically for those of you who have joined the conversation using We the People. Watch it now:
On Wednesday, the President outlined a series of first steps we can take to begin the work of ending this cycle of violence. This is what he said:
"We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides. And as I said on Sunday night, there's no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. We're going to need to work on making access to mental health care at least as easy as access to a gun. We're going to need to look more closely at a culture that all too often glorifies guns and violence. And any actions we must take must begin inside the home and inside our hearts.
But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. The fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence, and prevent the very worst violence."
Vice President Biden has been asked to work with members of the Administration, Congress, and the general public to come up with a set of concrete policy proposals by next month -- proposals the President intends to push swiftly. The President asked the Vice President to lead this effort in part because he wrote and passed the 1994 Crime Bill that helped law enforcement bring down the rate of violent crime in America. That bill included the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
As the Vice President's Chief of Staff, I'm going to do everything I can to ensure we run a process that includes perspectives from all sides of the issue, which is why I wanted to respond to your petition myself. Two decades ago, as domestic policy adviser in the Clinton White House, I first worked with Joe Biden as he fought to enact the Crime Bill, the assault weapons ban, and the Brady Bill. I will never forget what a key role the voices of concerned citizens like you played in that vital process.
The President called on Congress to pass important legislation "banning the sale of military-style assault weapons," "banning the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips," and "requiring background checks before all gun purchases, so that criminals can’t take advantage of legal loopholes to buy a gun from somebody who won’t take the responsibility of doing a background check at all."
An issue this serious and complex isn't going to be resolved with a single legislative proposal or policy prescription. And let's be clear, any action we take will respect the Second Amendment. As the President said:
"Look, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong tradition of gun ownership that's been handed down from generation to generation. Obviously across the country there are regional differences. There are differences between how people feel in urban areas and rural areas. And the fact is the vast majority of gun owners in America are responsible -- they buy their guns legally and they use them safely, whether for hunting or sport shooting, collection or protection.
But you know what, I am also betting that the majority -- the vast majority -- of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war. I'm willing to bet that they don't think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas -- that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily; that in this age of technology, we should be able to check someone's criminal records before he or she can check out at a gun show; that if we work harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one in Newtown -- or any of the lesser-known tragedies that visit small towns and big cities all across America every day."
The President said it best: "Ultimately if this effort is to succeed it's going to require the help of the American people -- it's going to require all of you. If we're going to change things, it's going to take a wave of Americans -- mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, pastors, law enforcement, mental health professionals -- and, yes, gun owners -- standing up and saying 'enough' on behalf of our kids."
So let's continue this conversation and get something meaningful done. If you have additional ideas and are interested in further engagement with the White House on this issue, please let us know and share your thoughts here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/share-your-thoughts-reducing-gun-violence
Thank you for speaking out and staying involved. Stay Connected
Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.
Stay connected to the White House by signing up for periodic email updates from President Obama and other senior administration officials.
post of the day, my man!!
no.
Thes same article delineates the pecking order of laws, treaty laws, and state laws. You can't pass a treaty law that is not in pursuance to the U.S. Constitution. Further, no state or judge can pass a law that is not in pursuance to the supreme law of the land.
Please get that straight and stop empowering anyone with the right or the idea that they can disarm us. The Second Amendment cannot be infringed upon because it is part of the Supreme Law of the Land.
If the gummint wants to infringe on our gun rights by hook or crook, they will. But they will be in violation of the Supreme Law of the Land and would be guilty of tyranny and should be treated like any other tyrant.
And more than that, because they would be in violation of their oath to preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution, their primary reason for being elected to office.
Its time to go on offense rather than wait for Obama and the DC crowd to push their agenda.
I was glad to hear the inside the beltway NRA called for armed security at every school.
That needs to be our demand aimed at our state legislators and governors, along with local schools.
Put the liberals on the defensive.
Disarmament wasn’t the answer to Nazis in the 1930’s, Communists during the Cold War and terrorists in 2001.
It isn’t the answers to the insane attacks on children in our schools.
My standard response to everyone who I talk to about the gun control issue is: “Do you know what kind of assault weapons Tim McVeigh used in Oklahoma City? How about on 9/11? What kind of guns did those guys use?”
Over 3,000 Americans dead, zero guns used by the perps.
A background check on Adam Lanza would have turned up nothing, correct? And his mother’s guns were perfectly legal. Now what???
I have problem with the petitions in general. It is as if the Idiot in Chief thinks we’re a non-representative democracy.
How would a background check show what kind of prescription drugs someone took?
School records.
How Do I Retrieve My Own Background Check?
How to Do a Federal Firearms Background Check to Buy a Gun
National Instant Check System
The National Instant Check System (or NICS), created in 1998, enables gun dealers and state point-of-contact offices to run background checks on potential customers to determine if they are allowed to purchase a firearm. This FBI monitors this system. Most background checks can be completed within minutes unless further investigation is necessary. Information contained within the database includes prior criminal records, information from the U.S. Department of Defense and information from the U.S. State Department. When purchasing multiple firearms on the same day, only one background check will be conducted. To purchase firearms on different days, you must undergo multiple background checks for each firearm.
Contacting NICS
Gun dealers contact the NICS database directly and speak with an operator, who runs the background check. You will be required to fill out Part A of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm’s (or BATF) form 4473 so you can be identified correctly in the database. If you have a common name, you may be asked to provide your Social Security number for verification. This is voluntary, but it can help speed up the process. The gun dealer will be given a verification number once you have been cleared to purchase the firearm. If additional information needs to be verified, NICS has up three days to complete the background check. If you have not been cleared to purchase a firearm, the gun dealer will be told to delay the purchase until a further investigation has been conducted.
http://www.ehow.com/way_5958275_do-background-check-firearm-purchase_.html
No mention of school records.
And I call for an Obama ban.
When you stop the BLACK STREET GANGS from killing people then you can have my guns!
Hide your guns. Don’t cooperate. Passive resistance.
Now that we have Obamacare it will be easy. See how that works!
“Assault weapons” are banned in CT according to the Left’s demands.
However they were stored, he had to go so far as killing his own mother to get them.
He tried buying a gun but failed the background check.
Every law the Left demands was already in place - and failed just as we predicted.
Excellent point.
That is the procedure now. Wait for the new and improved system.
IIRC when this system was instituted the records were supposed to be expunged after 30 or 60 days. Guess what.
“there’s no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.”
This is only thing that 0bama has been right about in 4 years.
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