Post by bot on Jan 9, 2016 16:46:19 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on President Obama's Executive Actions on Gun Safety
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the President announced new steps to prevent gun violence:
“Today, recognizing that the federal government cannot do nothing while thousands of Americans – including many children – are killed by gun violence each year, President Obama used his legal authority to take bold executive actions that will help keep dangerous firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them while supporting research into mental health and safer gun technologies. I was proud to be on hand as the President announced his new actions this morning at the White House. By directing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives to require everyone who is in the business of selling guns to obtain licenses and conduct background checks, the President is doing his part to ensure that existing law is fully enforced. His order also directs the F.B.I. to hire additional investigators and overhaul the background check system to end the backlog.
“But the fact remains that it is up to Congress, through legislation, to make the full set of reforms our nation needs to protect innocent Americans from the scourge of gun violence. Executive orders can only do so much, and Congress has a responsibility to work in a bipartisan way to prevent criminals, the severely mentally ill, and terror suspects from obtaining firearms while safeguarding the rights of responsible gun owners. When nine out of ten Americans – including a majority of responsible gun owners – support commonsense gun safety reform, there is no reason why Democrats and Republicans cannot work together to get it done. I hope this is an area where we can make progress together during the new session of Congress that will convene later today.”
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