Gun Control Reform Inches Forward

Details

Category: Crime

Published on Monday, 02 September 2013 07:42

Written by Janet Walker

Gun Control Law has inched somewhat forward with a veiled victory as Vice President Joseph Biden announced two new executive actions, nine months after the horrific and senseless tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school.  

Not a single day passes without a headline screaming of the gun violence that plagues every city, state and town across America as stray bullets murder innocent children, loaded and unprotected firearms discharge accidently leaving families devastated.

Daily, like the National Debt tally, Gun Control tallies increase at alarming rates with the uncontrollable escalations demanding harsh penalties and strict enforcement.

Stronger Gun Control Legislation continues to press forward despite repeated failures in both house and senate, and recently two new executive orders were signed into law building on the comprehensive Gun Control package proposed by Vice President Biden one month after the mind numbing Newtown massacre and adopted on January 16, 2013.

Moving ahead with toward the completion of the recommendations presented, within the executive orders, on January 16, 2013 and signed into law by President Obama, a full-time director of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau has been sworn into office.

B. Todd Jones, who has been the former Acting Director of the ATF since 2011, is the first full time ATF Director in seven years.

Vice President Biden also announced two additional executive orders, closing loopholes and keeping military weapons off the streets, which are proposed and President Obama, who remains committed to Gun Control legislation and is expected to sign into law.

Closing the loopholes, while not the comprehensive Background check package expected, it does according to the White House, “The proposed rule requires individuals associated with trusts or corporations that acquire these types of weapons to undergo background checks, just as these individuals would if the weapons were registered to them individually.  By closing this loophole, the regulation will ensure that machine guns and other particularly dangerous weapons do not end up in the wrong hands.”

Since January 2013, 39,000 requests were presented to have these dangerous weapons, specifically short barreled shotguns and machines guns, transferred to trusts which circumvent the fingerprint background check requirement in place.  If any weapon is registered to a trust no background check is required. Owners and potential owners must have a fingerprint background check in order to purchase.

The second executive order proposed involves keeping Military style weapons off the streets.

This executive order targets directly the re-import of military style weapons, especially those weapons sold, transferred or provided to foreign governments in assistance programs, to private agencies or individuals.

At present, the United States allows the re-import of military style weapons from multiple sources for private and public viewing. The new executive order would limit the re-import of military weapons, with minimal exceptions, to parties outside a strict criterion such as accredited museums.

Gun Control legislation is a slow process, especially as elected officials reevaluate the desires of the constituents and the repeated failures, even as gun violence plagues our streets, by the house and senate to pass comprehensive gun control.  The two new executive orders are one inch closer to much needed change.

Sources: Whitehouse.org