U.S. President Barack Obama took to Twitter Monday night to promote his upcoming executive order that will to make it tougher for people to buy guns.
Obama is expected to announce new laws on Tuesday that would make it a requirement that all gun sellers must register as dealers – even those who sell at gun shows and online – and to run background checks on all prospective purchasers, aiming to curb a scourge of gun violence despite unyielding opposition to new gun laws in Congress.
In a bid to narrow the so-called gun show loophole, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will issue updated guidance that says the government can consider someone a gun dealer regardless of where he or she sells the guns, officials said.
The American president threw a shot across the bow of Congress as he suggested members were over-influenced by gun lobbyists.
Obama also believes that many gun owners are in support of tighter legislation.
At the moment, only federally-licensed dealers in the United States are required to conduct background checks.
The new legislation is not as tough as some were hoping, but will likely cause a fight with both Republicans and the NRA as both are known to oppose any new regulations on gun sales despite the recent surge in gun violence in the United States.
Full twitter Transcript:
“Each year, more than 30,000 American lives are cut short by guns – two-thirds coming from suicides. Too many Americans have lost loved ones.
Guns now kill as many people as cars in almost half of the U.S. We can’t stop every act of violence, but we can save lives if we act.
Tomorrow, I’m taking action to reduce gun violence and save lives – protecting the Second Amendment and our kids.
We will keep guns out of the wrong hands, enforce our guns laws, and ensure those with serious mental illnesses get treatment.
What’s often ignored in this debate is that a majority of gun owners agree with commonsense steps to save lives.
The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage, but they can’t hold America hostage. We can’t accept this carnage in our communities.”
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