Editorial: Obama’s executive action on guns a good start

Just days into 2016, a normally stoic President Obama delivered a teary-eyed address in front of the nation about his new gun-control efforts to reduce the gun violence that plagued 2015.

Through executive order Tuesday, President Obama  proposed a new requirement that would expand background checks for gun buyers. Normally, the government does not require small sellers to keep formal sales records and only federally licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks on buyers. With the new legislation, anyone who is in the business of selling firearms — at gun shows, websites and even flea markets — must register.

With more than 300 mass shootings in 2015, Obama decided to use executive action to prevent inaction, and in doing so, had to bypass a Congress against further gun regulation. Congress’ lack of action proceeding what seemed like a regular mass shooting has caused the American people to lose confidence in our government. President Obama’s attempt to mitigate the gun crime in our country will help alleviate the contention between Americans and our lethargic government that seems to ignore our pleas to move forward.

“Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad,” Obama said, referring to the Sandy Hook shooting where 20 first graders and six staffers were killed by gunman Adam Lanza in 2012. “We know we can’t stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence,” he added.

According to Adam Lankford, an associate professor at the University of Alabama Department of Criminal Justice who studied mass shootings around the world from 1966 to 2012, the United States represents less than 5 percent of the global population but accounted for 31 percent of global mass shooters.

With such a dismal reputation, our country can’t afford to idly stand by and wait for the next mass shooting to happen. Our politicians who represent us must work to keep us safe to no avail, even if that means using executive order to make such a crucial, life-saving effort.

Congress’s inaction to curb gun-related crimes has resulted in the misaligned blame and finger pointing at President Obama by groups like the National Rifle Association, which weighed in along with politicians across the country. The NRA claimed, “President Obama’s executive orders will do nothing to improve public safety.”

Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama tweeted, “New guns laws, shoved down our throats through executive action, won’t reduce mass violence in our country.”

Many politicians and Second Amendment advocates are concerned that the president’s executive action is overstepping the boundaries of Americans’ constitutionally protected right to bear arms. It is true that there are millions of gun owners in the United States who are responsible and pose no threat — but increasing background checks does not undermine the rights of those who wish to purchase and own guns.

While the president’s mandate may not eliminate gun crime, Congress’s strategy of inaction is clearly not reducing the regularity of mass shootings. Congress, by rejecting all of President Obama’s all prior attempts at gun regulation, has shown the American people that it is more interested in satisfying lobbyists than constituents. Ignoring public support for common sense reform only reinforces the perception that government does not care about its people.

By acting in the interest of Americans, President Obama has shown Americans their voices have not fallen on deaf ears.

In a country filled with schools and hospitals with innocent people who often have the looming fear they may be the next victim of a mass shooting, inaction is equivalent to negligent homicide.

“Once Congress gets on board with common sense gun safety measures,” Obama said, “we can reduce gun violence a whole lot more. But we also can’t wait.”

We can’t afford to wait for the next Sandy Hook or San Bernardino. We must take the next step to assure 2016 doesn’t experience the carnage 2015 did.