Obama defends forthcoming gun restrictions as constitutional

Obama is to meet Attorney-General Loretta Lynch on Monday to discuss his administration’s options for tightening gun rules without going through the Republican-controlled congress, which does not support the wide-ranging legislative changes that the Democratic president prefers.

After October’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, President Obama asked his team to analyze what executive authority he could take on gun control, and he has said addressing ways to curb gun violence is part of his “New Year’s resolution” to complete unfinished business in the final year of his presidency.

One of the efforts is to close the so called gun show loophole requiring private dealers to obtain a license and conduct background checks.

In addition to requiring background checks at gun shows and online, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is finalizing a rule that will require individuals attempting to purchase firearms through a trust or corporation to undergo background checks.

The FBI will overhaul its background check system as a result of the executive orders and hire 230 more examiners to process the checks, offering the service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even still, the more modest measures were sure to spark a confrontation with Republicans and gun rights groups that oppose new impediments to buying guns.

Under the current law, only federally licensed gun dealers are obliged to do background checks on potential gun buyers.

FILE – People look over a table of handguns for sale at a gun show in Kansas City, Missouri, Dec. 22, 2012. “It will potentially save lives and spare families the pain of these extraordinary losses”.

Business is brisk at gun shops and gun manufacturer stocks are also up.

Obama said Monday the announcement was “well within my legal authority”. “So, more laws doesn’t mean a safer place to live”, said Todd Piccinini, the Vice President of Mark Fore & Strike in Reno.

Obama, speaking to reporters before the measures were made public, said they were consistent with the US Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.

The main obstacle to Obama’s plan for greater gun control has been the Republican-controlled Congress, where conservative lawmakers have so far pooled sufficient political capital to render the White House’s plan dormant.

“The president is talking about how many of these transactions could take place and at what point do we make them do a background checks”, Oven said.

“I’m really proud of the work we’ve done here in Colorado and if we can get background checks passed as a nation, that would be great progress”, Fields said.

“He would like to see there be some sort of delay before those folks get access to a gun”.