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Tuesday morning President Barack Obama unveiled key provisions aimed at reducing gun violence and attempting to mitigate one of the most tragic features of his presidency, the frequency of mass shootings and violent deaths in the U.S.
Updated 12:20 p.m.
The administration unvieled new gun control measures including the following:
- Anyone in the business of selling of firearms must be subject to background checks.
- Background checks will be required for people seeking to purchase firearms through a trust, corporation or other legal entity.
- The background check system will be expanded and more efficient.
- Federal mental health records will be submitted to the background check system.
- More people will be hired to process applications for firearms faster.
- $500 million will be invested to increase access to mental health care.
- The Internet Investigation Center will be established to track illegal online firearms trafficking.
- $4 million and additional personnel will be enlisted to enhance the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network.
- The departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security will review the availability of smart gun technology on a regular basis and will explore potential ways to improve gun safety.
"Put your money where your mouth is," Obama said to Congress members, who he said rejected gun control laws because of mental health issues.
As he concluded his comments about the new gun control measures, Obama referenced the deaths of the 20 children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting again. Tears were visible in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.
12:00 p.m.
“Every single year 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns,” Obama stated when he arrived at the podium.
He continued: “The United States of America is not the only country on earth with violent people. We are not inherently prone to violence. But we are the only country on earth to see this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency. Somehow we’ve become numb to it. We start thinking, this is normal. Instead of thinking about how we solve the problem, this has become one of the most polarizing public debates.”
President Obama repeatedly referred to gun safety measures as "common sense."
11:50 a.m.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Mark Barden, managing director of the Sandy Hook Promise and father of one of the young children shot at the school, introduced President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden before they delivered comments about new gun policies and regulations.
"Every gun related death is preventable," Barden said as he welcomed the officials to the podium. "We need your help. We need everybody engaged in this. President Obama made a promise as an elected official and a promise as a father that he would do everything in his power to make our communities safer."
>>RELATED: White House Fact Sheet: New Executive Action to Reduce Gun Violence and Make Our Communities Safer
The president's first comments addressed shootings including those at Columbine, Aurora, Sandy Hook Elementary School and Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. He also addressed the incident in which former congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head at a community event in 2011 by a man with known mental health problems. Giffords retired from Congress after the shooting and entered the press conference Tuesday morning to applause from audience members.
9:26 a.m.
President Obama will reveal the details of his executive action that aims to curb gun violence by restricting access for those who pose a threat.
On Monday, Obama announced he’s going to take executive action in an effort to reduce the rate of gun violence in America.
>>RELATED: 5 things Obama will do and 1 he won't
He received a report from Attorney General Loretta Lynch to see what he can do within the scope of his authority.
"What I asked my team to do is to see what more we could do to strengthen our enforcement and prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands," Obama said.
The president said he wants to make sure criminals, the mentally unstable and people who pose a threat to themselves and others are less likely to get a gun.
That likely means stepping up background checks for retailers and closing the loophole that lets collectors and gun shows sell firearms without performing background checks.
Obama emphasized that his actions will be in line with the Second Amendment and won’t overstep his executive authority.
He stressed the move is not going to solve or prevent every crime but believes that it will save lives.
He also called on Congress to enact tighter restrictions, but with a Republican majority, he’s likely on his own.
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