The Obama administration announced on Thursday it would be implementing new steps in the gun control battle. Ever since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Obama has been trying to limit the access of semi-automatic guns and high powered magazines. In May the President placed a bill before the Senate calling for stricter background checks in order to keep guns out of certain hands. The bill failed and now the President has taken executive action by closing a little know gun loophole and not allowing overseas military guns from returning home.
The loophole Obama took action to close allowed convicted felons and others who sought to bypass background checks by registering their guns to corporations. The decision to close this loophole is one of 23 executive actions the White House is allowing President Obama to take in the attempt to lower the rate of gun violence in the US. Previously unconcerned with guns, Obama became an advocate for better gun legislation after 20 children and six adults were gunned down in cold blood around Christmas time last year.
"If congress won't act, we'll fight for a new congress," Vice President Biden said during a speech in the Roosevelt room at the White House on Thursday. "It's that simple. But we're going to get this done." In addition to stopping private guns from being registered to corporations the Obama administration is looking to keep US military weapons off the streets. According to the Associated Press the United States approved the return of 250,000 military used guns to the US from overseas in the last eight years. After Obama's executive decision only a museum or the government will be able to import these weapons.
Critics have already begun to call the measure inadequate because the imported guns are generally World War II era and obsolete. A gun collector that spoke with the Associated Press said he believes the president's decision will not make a dent in gun violence. "Banning these rifles because of their use in quote-unquote crimes is like banning Model Ts because so many of them are being used as getaway cars in bank robberies," said Ed Woods from northern California. Obama's executive decision will still not be able to ban the purchase of assault weapons. Gun control advocates believe that measure is the one that will successfully lower the rates of gun violence in the US.
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