Here is my personal take on ObamaGunBan:
2. BANNING MILITARY-STYLE ASSAULT WEAPONS AND HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES,
AND TAKING OTHER COMMON-SENSE STEPS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE
"Assault weapon" is a fallacy concocted by gun grabbers. However, I
will not waste my time arguing here. I will just focus on the practical
aspects of the proposed new ban.
No one knows precisely how
many "military-style assault weapons" are out there. I'd estimate it is
in the range of several million, perhaps even tens of million. The
number of magazines is at least as high as the number of firearms they
are used for, and most likely several times higher. To put it bluntly,
there are already enough "assault weapons" for criminals to obtain one
easily. Banning further civilian sales has almost negligible effect.
So, what we are talking about here is, at best, an appeasement to those
who fear scary-looking guns and what they have seen them do in movies.
This does not make my kids any safer.
Now, regarding the specific "executive actions":
1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make
relevant data available to the federal background check system.
OK.
2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent
states from making information available to the background check system.
OK.
3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
OK.
4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals
prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not
slipping through the cracks.
OK.
5. Propose rulemaking
to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on
an individual before returning a seized gun.
OK.
6.
Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing
guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
FBI NICS can only handle so many queries at any given time. Furthermore,
ATF has been tightening on the number of FFL licenses in recent years.
Efforts should be made so that prohibition of private firearm sales will
not become an undue burden to law-abiding citizens.
7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
OK. BTW, NRA has been doing that for years.
8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
OK.
9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
OK.
10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
OK.
11. Nominate an ATF director.
OK.
12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
Too vague. I don't agree entirely with the NRA that armed guards are
the only way to stop school shootings. However, since none of these
measures proposed by Gun Grabbers can guarantee that no firearm will
ever fall into the wrong hands, I strongly believe that schools should
have a last line of defense.
13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
Why not maximize law enforcement efforts on all kinds of violent crime?
14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease
Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
Why single out gun violence? All kinds of violent crime should be targeted.
15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability
and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the
private sector to develop innovative technologies.
Yawn ...
Even if a reliable technological solution can be found, what do you do
with the estimated 3.5 BILLION guns already in circulation?
16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
My answer will be "with all due respect, it is none of your business."
17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no
federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law
enforcement authorities.
OK.
18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
Resource officers is none but an euphemism for armed guards. Why is it
kosher for Obama say this, but NRA got blasted for promoting exactly the
same idea?
19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
OK.
20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
OK.
21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
OK.
22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
OK.
23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.
OK.
