Obama May Use Executive Orders For More Gun ‘Control’

JENNIFER GRANHOLM: After Gabby Giffords was shot in 2011, the Department of Justice actually came up with a list of steps- this was reported in The New York Times this weekend- a list of steps that the administration could take to improve the system of background checks. Like pooling information from other agencies to help identify people who are not mentally competent. I, as a former person in the executive branch, used to love stuff that I could do without having to go to the state legislature. The President, presumably, has an opportunity here to pick up those regulatory measures. Do you think not?

ROBERT REICH: Yes, some can be done by executive order. And he will, I think, try to do that. If it’s an executive order, by definition, Congress can’t stop him. There may be efforts to say that he has exceeded his authority under executive order. I think the big factor here, though, for the President, the White House, for Democrats, is that the election is over. And I don’t want to appear too cynical about this, Jennifer, but one reason the President may not have taken up what the Department of Justice had tentatively come up with, before the election, was the fear that there would be a backlash.

-Gun ‘control’ discussion between Current TV’s Jennifer Granholm and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich on Current TV’s The War Room with Jennifer Granholm this past Monday.

The following talk of “executive actions” caught my attention the other day. From Reuters’ David Ingram and Karey Wutkowski on Wednesday:

The Obama administration will consider executive actions and specific proposals for legislation as part of its gun policy response to the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

And then there was this from Michael D. Shear on The New York Times that same day:

President Obama declared on Wednesday that he would make gun control a “central issue” as he opens his second term, promising to submit broad new firearm proposals to Congress no later than January and to employ the full power of his office to overcome deep-seated political resistance.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

“And to employ the full power of his office to overcome deep-seated political resistance.”

By the sound of all this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the White House uses Executive orders to implement more gun “control.”

According to the Federal Register website, Barack Obama has issued 140 of these orders since becoming President.

Sources:

Shear, Michael D. “Obama Vows Fast Action in New Push for Gun Control.” The New York Times. 19 Dec. 2012. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us/politics/obama-to-give-congress-plan-on-gun-control-within-weeks.html?_r=1&). 21 Dec. 2012.

Wutkowski, Karey and Ingram, David. “Holder: executive actions to be considered on gun violence.” Reuters. 19 Dec. 2012. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/us-usa-shootings-connecticut-holder-idUSBRE8BI13720121219). 21 Dec. 2012.