WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers on Wednesday in a bid to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest US gun-control push in generations.
Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful US gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who are expected to resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.
Obama presented his agenda at a White House event in front of an audience that included children from around the country. “While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn’t be a divisive one,” Obama said.
Just days before his second inauguration, the president appears determined to champion gun control with a concerted drive for tighter laws and other steps aimed at preventing further tragedies like the one at Newtown on December 14, 2012. The proposals stem from a review led by Vice President Joe Biden, who on orders from Obama met advocates on both sides.
Obama’s plan calls on Congress for a renewed prohibition on assault weapons sales that expired in 2004, a requirement for criminal background checks on all gun purchases, including closing a loophole for gun show sales, and a new federal gun trafficking law — long sought by big-city mayors to keep outof-state guns off their streets.
He also announced 23 steps he intends to take immediately without congressional approval.
The most politically contentious piece is Obama’s call for a renewed ban on military-style assault weapons, a move that Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are expected to oppose. (Reuters)