White House outlines new gun measures

“These are not only recommendations that are well within my legal authority and the executive branch”, Obama told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. This is a president who after the recent Oregon Community College mass shooting went on television and said our thoughts and prayers are not enough.

“This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country”, Obama said, tempering expectations.

One option is to expand background checks rules for people buying from gun dealers who sell large quantities of firearms including at gun shows and on line.

“We don’t need any more of the control of firearms where citizens of the United States are authorized to have guns”, said member Gary Woodard.

Still, the retired Chicago police officer said he opposes any other gun-control efforts, saying they would limit access to firearms without stopping gun violence.

“I am absolutely convinced we can have gun safety measures consistent with the Constitution”, she said during a presidential campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire.

The “Executive Order” method here is the most likely to be unconstitutional, given that the President is specifically not given the right to legislate.

“I won’t wipe it away”, Clinton said. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said that while Obama may now hold the power of the pen, “my pen has got an eraser”.

The administration is expected to reclassify some of those dealers using a mix of criteria, such as the number and frequency of guns sold, whether sellers profit off sales, whether they advertise, rent space or tables at gun shows and pay taxes.

And the background check provision rests in the murky realm of agency guidelines, which have less force than full-fledged federal regulations and can easily be rescinded.

House Speaker Paul Ryan on Monday warned President Obama that the nation “will not stand for” presidential overreach that restricts gun ownership.

The president has repeatedly called for legislative action to impose more rigorous background checks on gun owners, among other measures. But in instances where the Federal Bureau of Investigation needs more time, the government only has three days before prospective buyers can return and buy the gun without being cleared.

The FBI will hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process these background checks, the White House said. Congress, which is controlled by Republicans, rejected Obama’s proposals for legislation to tighten gun rules in 2013.

The president will formally reveal his executive actions Tuesday, and even though they have no real details of Obama’s plan, Republicans have been quick to criticize.

In a week, the president will deliver his final State of the Union address, in which he’ll lay out his agenda for his final year in office.

Whether the new steps will effectively prevent future gun deaths remained unclear.

That’s supported by a study released previous year by researchers at the University of Chicago and Duke University, who surveyed inmates at Chicago’s Cook County jail. Lynch said the administration chose to clarify guidelines because it allowed the policies to be implemented immediately.