Every time any mention of guns and control and or regulations is used in the media every one and their mother who are strong supporters of having and using guns assumes “Their guns are being confiscated.” That is not case all, President Obama and Gun Control regulation backers just want to make the street safer for the citizens and to make sure guns are not being bought and used improperly with the intention to harm citizens no mater race, gender, age and sex etc. These gun control regulations are also being put in place so that in the event something violent happens involving a gun the perpetrators can and will be held accountable for their actions. I mean I can barely turn on the TV, or watch and or read the news and media and Not hear about lives lost to gun violence. I am tired of hearing people die due to gun violence no matter the age and or gender and sex, race etc. I am not going to sit here idly by, while the body count goes up and the quantity of guns goes up with it and people just rake in the cash while our streets lie stained with blood and bullet casings. Now in order to offer up the information about the recent gun control regulations I went straight to the source, The White House that is.

On January 4 2016, The White House Office of the Press Secretary released a fact sheet titled New Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Make Our Communities Safer.  It’s no secret that gun violence takes a “heartbreaking toll on too many communities across the country.” “Over the past decade in America, more than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence—and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies, and other crimes involving a gun.” It’s not only time something be done about the increasing number of instances where a gun is involved and lives are lost, it’s about time people START listening and some affirmative action actually gets passed to prevent such instances.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are highly dedicated to using all the tools at their fingertips to decrease gun violence. They recognize that some severe gaps in our nation’s gun laws can only be addressed though legislation. So they plan on using executive actions to address those gaps since Congress has repeatedly failed to do so in their eyes and my eyes as well. These executive actions include four main points. The first being the regulations to keep guns out of the wrong hands with background checks. Now that is easier said than done yet this current Administration is confident they can address this issue.

The Bureau of Alcohol,Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) wants to make sure that no matter where someone buys and or sells a gun, so any business conducting involving firearms MUST obtain a license and conduct background checks to do so . This includes buying guns from the internet or a physical store and a third party retailer like a gun show.  The ATF is also putting it’s foot down and getting more detailed and have made plans to require background checks for people trying to buy some of the most dangerous weapons and other items through a trust, corporation, or any other legal entity. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is overhauling the background check system to make it more effective and efficient. The envisioned improvements include processing background checks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and improving notification of local authorities when certain prohibited persons unlawfully attempt to buy a gun. The FBI will hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process these background checks. What is great about this is, is that is no quantity and or frequency is required for this to be in effect. It doesn’t matter if you buy and sell 2 guns or 1,000 guns etc. this rule applies to you as well.  There will be severe consequences for people who do not comply with the rule and while that isn’t the best thing, it is was has to be done to stop the violence. This also makes sure lives aren’t lost due to guns being sold legally or illegally but when they get stolen, misused, and or discharged accidentally.

The second part aims to addressing making “Our communities safer from gun violence.” This entails under the watchful eye of the Attorney General to have U.S. Attorneys “around the world to direct federal prosecutors” to put in the extra effort on “smart and effective enforcement” of gun laws. The President intends to better address this by setting up a budget that will include funding for 200 new ATF agents and investigators to help enforce gun regulations. A new rule under the ATF is being finalized to ensure dealers who ship firearms must notify law enforcement if their guns are stolen and or lost in transit. Lastly in this part of the plan the U.S. Attorney General’s Office will increase outreach about domestic violence.

Thirdly the President and Vice President aims to increase mental health treatment and their reporting’s to the background check system. The current Administration has put in motion a new $500 million investment to increase the public’s access to mental health care. The Social Security Administration has indicated they will implement a rulemaking process to “include information in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm due to mental health reasons.” The Department of Health and Human Services is finalizing a rule to remove unnecessary legal barriers preventing States from reporting on vital information about people prohibited from possessing a gun for specific mental health reasons as well.

Next up a part of the pan is to “Shape the future of gun safety technology.”  The President has called on the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security to conduct and or sponsor research into gun safety technology. The perspective departments must also review the feasibility of smart gun technology on a regular basis as well as exploring new ways to continue to utilize such technologies to improve gun safety. While this all good and great to put in motion at the federal level it does nothing for the long arm of government to propose things from afar since they are not on the front lines in the city if you well. Well, President Obama has also implored the states and local governments to do all they can so guns do not wind up in the wrong hands and they can reduce gun violence. President Barack Obama has left no stone unturned in this issue and I commend that.  Though it might seem like a lot money, time and effort spent on this cause I think it’s more than worth it to protect lives that don’t deserved to be taken because we as a nation failed to acknowledge and reverse the gun violence issue plaguing our communities.