Obama Gun Control initiative draws impeachment threat
Republicans respond with apoplectic rage
By Zenitha Prince From the Afro-American Newspaper
The White House’s proposal to curb violent gun-related crime has provoked conservatives into a state of near-apoplexy, with at least one Republican House member suggesting he would bring impeachment proceedings against the President Obama.
On Jan. 16, President Obama announced several legislative proposals and 23 executive actions after a month-long review process led by Vice President Joe Biden.
President Obama recommended that Congress approve requiring universal background checks for all gun sales, restoring a ban on military-style assault weapons, establishing a 10-round limit for ammunition magazines, implementing a federal gun trafficking statute, allocating funds to hire more police officers, providing mental health services in schools and more.
He also announced several executive actions that will be taken immediately, including: strengthening the background check system, helping schools to hire more resource officers and develop emergency preparedness plans and directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research the causes of gun violence and ways to prevent it.
“I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality,” the President Obama said. “If there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there is even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.”
It seems some Republicans are equally devoted to defeating the President’s Obama proposals, which they say enc-roaches on the constitutional right to bear arms.
“I will seek legislation over-turning the Orders. I will seek legislation barring funds to enforce the Orders. I will seek legislation to cut White House funding should the President Obama issue and enforce such Orders. I will support legal efforts to overturn the Orders in court,” vowed Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas). And, he added, if those measures fail, “I will consider speaking with my colleagues and filing articles of impeachment.”
