By Breaking News
OXON HILL, Md. — Conservatives are all but declaring victory on their defense of gun rights, exuding confidence as calls for aggressive controls in the wake of the Newtown elementary school massacre have given way to scaled-back expectations to firearm restrictions in Congress.
“They can call me crazy and whatever else they want, but NRA’s nearly 5 million members and America’s 100 million gun owners will not back down — not now, not ever,” an emboldened Wayne LaPierre, the CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, told conservatives gathered at an annual conference. He pointedly ignored President Barack Obama’s most restrictive proposals in his speech, using it instead to assail the one that has the potential of getting approved — a near-universal background check for gun owners.
It’s a sign that LaPierre — and others at the Conservative Political Action Conference — thinks the nation’s largest pro-gun lobby has successfully beaten back the most limiting proposals.
Indeed, a bipartisan deal on near-universal background checks for firearms buyers remains a real possibility. And Congress still could pass a ban on high-capacity magazines. But Democrats haven’t been able to muster enough support, even within their own ranks, to push through an assault weapons ban.
That’s by far the most restrictive of the series of changes Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have sought following the Connecticut school shooting that killed 26 children and educators and a series of deadly shootings in Aurora, Colo., Oak Creek, Wis., and elsewhere.
Read more at Official Wire. By Ken Thomas.
Photo credit: Gregory Wild-Smith (Creative Commons)
On January 24th, the Vice President participated in a “Fireside Hangout” hosted by Google, talking with ordinary Americans from across the country concerned about how to reduce gun violence. It was a lively discussion about how we can meaningfully reduce the violence in our communities. Catch up on that conversation now:
On January 25th, the Vice President traveled to Richmond, Virginia, where, along with Secretaries Napolitano and Sebelius, Senator Tim Kaine, and Congressman Bobby Scott, he held a roundtable discussion with experts who helped improve Virginia’s background check system after the Virginia Tech shooting and about what still needs to be done to make sure that there is a criminal background check for every gun sale. We need to make sure states and the Federal government are making complete information available to our background check system about those who aren’t allowed to have guns, and the President’s gun violence plan includes four executive actions to do just that. But that is not enough; to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, we need Congress to pass new legislation requiring background checks for all gun sales, with common-sense exceptions for cases like transfers between family members.
On Monday, January 28th, the President and Vice President, along with members of the Cabinet, met with police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country about their work on the ground to reduce gun violence. Police chiefs from Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown shared their personal stories and the lessons they have learned from responding to and recovering from a mass shooting. Our plan would give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime by making gun trafficking a Federal crime with serious penalties, helping communities put 15,000 cops on the street, and taking other common-sense steps.
Senator Patrick Leahy chaired a hearing last week at which several witnesses explained why the President’s proposals are so important. And two of the key witnesses, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, came down to meet with President Obama on Wednesday.
Finally, Vice President Biden personally called on Congress to act last Thursday when he traveled to the Hill to meet with Democratic Senators. Congress is already making progress on passing key components of the President’s plan; multiple bills that would take steps to reduce gun violence have been introduced in the Senate. The Vice President challenged his former colleagues to continue this progress, work quickly, and take the bold action this moment demands.
There is more activity to come. In fact, today the President travels to Minnesota to discuss his plan. We will continue to provide updates as we go forward.
For more information:
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House
