President Obama Unveils Bold and Sweeping New Gun Control Measures

     Under the idea that it's what your enemies say about you that really counts listen to Texas Republican Congressman Steve Stockman compare the President to Saddam Hussein:

     "A day after threatening to file articles of impeachment against President Barack Obama over aspects of his campaign against gun violence, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) criticized the planned rollout of the president's gun policy proposals, saying that it reminded him of Saddam Hussein."

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/steve-stockman-saddam-hussein_n_2486910.html?ref=topbar

     We know about the ugly video released by the NRA targeting the President's daughters.

      http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/new-nra-ad-comes-under-attack-86268.html?hp=t3_7

       I kind of feel like clearly the Administration is on the right track when it creates such crazed responses, obviously a nerve has been hit. This afternoon the President released the most comprehensive gun control package seen in a decade.

       The friends of the President like what they heard. The Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence liked what they heard:

        "The Brady Campaign stands with the President and Vice President in supporting these comprehensive policy recommendations to address gun violence. The White House has shown tremendous leadership in convening stakeholders and engaging the country in a conversation that the Brady Campaign and so many Americans have been calling for in the wake of Aurora, Newtown, and the 32 gun murders that happen every day in our country. We, at the Brady Campaign, are proud to have had the opportunity to share a comprehensive set of policy solutions with the White House Task Force and we are pleased to see our ideas reflected in the final recommendations. We will work with the Administration over the coming days to give voice to the American public who so strongly support common sense legislative policies that can immediately prevent gun violence, such as universal background checks. We also re-affirm the Brady Campaign's commitment to lead the way toward better public health and safety education programs regarding the almost 300 million guns already in the hands of mostly law-abiding citizens. I strong believe that now it’s up to us to make real change happen.”

         http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/brady-campaign-white-house-shown-tremendous-leadership-on

        The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence felt similarly:

         "In total, the proposal goes beyond what most gun control advocates were hoping for at the start of Biden's review process, during which he held 22 different meetings with 229 different organizations and 31 elected officials."

      "This is a monumental moment. It's a long time coming and we're thrilled the president's putting the full weight of his office behind this," said Josh Horowitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "We're ready to push this thing through."

        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/obama-gun-control-proposals_n_2486919.html

        ready to push this through... I like the sound of that. The President's gun control initiative is made up of four parts:

        " In a bold and potentially historic attempt to stem the increase in mass gun violence, President Barack Obama unveiled on Wednesday the most sweeping effort at gun control policy reform in a generation."

        "The proposal, which comes at the end of a month-long review process spearheaded by Vice President Joe Biden, is broken down into four key subsections: law enforcement, the availability of dangerous firearms and ammunition, school safety and mental health."

         "In an effort to touch on all four of those elements, the president recommended requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales; reinstating the assault weapons ban; restoring a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines; eliminating armor-piercing bullets; providing mental health services in schools; allocating funds to hire more police officers; and instituting a federal gun trafficking statute, among other policies. The cost of the package, senior officials estimated, would be roughly $500 million, some of which could come from already budgeted funds."

       The President also announced he will sign 23 executive orders:

        "Because these recommendations require congressional approval, the administration is supplementing its proposal with 23 executive actions that will be taken immediately. Those actions include requiring federal agencies to hand over relevant data for a background check system; providing law enforcement officials, first responders and school officials with better training for active shooting situations; directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence; and many more."

      So there we are. The President has thrown his full weight behind gun control and now it's time to push this through.