by Pam Hackenmiller
In a speech Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions on gun control and called for universal background checks on potential gun owners and a restoration on a ban of military-style assault weapons.
Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and four children who had written letters to the president calling for stricter gun control, Obama said the country can't delay any longer the measures that will give law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals and the public health community some of the tools they need to help diminish gun violence in the United States.
"This is our first task of society: Keeping our children safe," he said. "This is how we will be judged. ... We can't put this off any longer."
In addition to his proposals, Obama said he will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study ways to reduce gun violence and the effect violent video games have on young minds.
"We don't benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence," he said.
The president then called on Congress to pass some of the following proposals immediately:
- Conduct a universal background check on anyone trying to buy a gun.
- Restore the ban on military-style assault weapons and place a 10-round limit for magazines.
- Help law enforcement by being tougher on those who sell guns to criminals.
- Confirm B. Todd Jones as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
- Put more police officers back on the job and on the streets.
Obama called the proposals "common-sense measures" and said they have the support of the majority of Americans.
"The only way we can change is if the American people demand it," he said.
The New York Times has an interactive feature with a more in-depth look at Obama's proposals, so head on over and check them out here.
What do you think of Obama's proposed measures?
