Biden Unveils Gun Measures, Says Congress Must Act
Josh Lederman
The Associated Press
8/29/2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden says if Congress won’t act on gun control, he’ll fight for a new Congress.
Biden is unveiling two new steps President Barack Obama is taking on gun violence. The executive actions don’t require approval from Congress, where gun legislation collapsed earlier this year.
One new step will curb the import of military surplus weapons. The Obama administration is also proposing to close a loophole that lets certain weapons be registered to corporations without background checks.
Biden says the steps are straightforward, simple and common-sense. He says Obama will act on his own where he can, but will also keep pushing for broader gun control legislation.
Biden spoke at the ceremonial swearing-in for Todd Jones, the new head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Related: Missouri poised to enact measure nullifying federal gun laws
The Republican-led Missouri Legislature is expected to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill that would expand gun rights and make federal gun regulations unenforceable — even as similar laws adopted in other states to buck federal gun rules face legal challenges.
Several of Nixon’s fellow Democrats told The Associated Press that they would vote to override his veto when lawmakers convene in September, even while agreeing with the governor that the bill couldn’t survive a court challenge. Many of them noted that in some parts of Missouri, a “no” vote on gun legislation could be career ending…
Update: Don Surber’s Daily Scoreboard:
…26. From the Associated Press: “President Barack Obama met with 18 city mayors to discuss ways to contain youth violence, quietly reviving an issue that once dominated the White House agenda.”
They will convene to figure out how to blame rural gun owners for urban violence once and for all…
Update 2: BearingArms.com explains:
Barack Obama has announced two gun control executive orders today, both aimed at disarming legal gun owners and collectors, not criminals.
The first order takes aim at “gun trusts,” a mechanism that allows people legally acquire short-barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, sound suppressors, and automatic weapons requiring a $200 tax stamp under the National Firearms Act (NFA)…
…The other executive order is one of pure spite, designed to block the importation of M1 Garands, M1 carbines, and other firearms lent to American allies in the past, but which are obsolete by modern standards. In particular, it seems aimed at a large batch of Garands and M1 carbines being held in South Korean armories.
Such firearms form the backbone of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, and are used in marksmanship training and competition around the country. Others are snapped up by collectors interested in the history and heritage of the weapon, a history and heritage this President would clearly like to see erased…
