“We’re not going to get an outright ban,” Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., said of limits on assault weapons. Still, McCarthy, a leading voice in Congress in favor of gun control, said she would keep pushing for a ban and hoped Obama would as well.
White House officials, seeking to avoid setting up the president for failure, have emphasized that no single measure—even an assault weapons ban—would solve a scourge of gun violence across the country that also threatens school security. But without such a ban or other sweeping, congressionally approved measures, it’s unclear whether executive actions alone could make any noticeable difference.
“It is a simple fact that there are limits to what can be done within existing law,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “Congress has to act on the kinds of measures we’ve already mentioned, because the power to do that is reserved by Congress.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Jan. 15 signed into law the toughest gun control law in the nation, and the first since the Connecticut school shootings. The law includes a tougher assault-weapons ban and provisions to try to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people who make threats.
According to a lobbyist briefed Jan. 15, Obama will present a three-part plan focused on gun violence, school security, and mental health. He’ll call for:
• A focus on universal background checks. Right now, some 40 percent of gun sales take place without background checks, including by private sellers at gun shows or over the internet, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
• A ban on assault weapons and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds or fewer.
• A federal statute to stop “straw man” purchases of guns and crack down on trafficking rings.
• More anti-bullying efforts; more training for teachers, counselors, and principals; and funding for schools to hire more counselors and resource officers.
Obama also will order federal agencies to conduct more research on gun use and crimes, the lobbyist said—something Republican congressional majorities have limited through language in budget bills.
On mental health, Obama will focus on more availability of mental health services, training more school counselors and mental health professionals, and mental health first aid training for first responders, according to the lobbyist, who was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly before the president’s announcement and requested anonymity.
The president’s framework is based on recommendations from Vice President Joe Biden, who led a wide-ranging task force on gun violence. The vice president’s proposals included 19 steps that could be achieved through executive action.
Obama also might order the Justice Department to crack down on people who lie on gun-sale background checks; only a tiny number now are prosecuted. Such a step has support from the National Rifle Association, which has consistently argued that existing laws must be enforced before new ones are considered.
And Obama might give education leaders more flexibility to use grant money to improve school security.
(Next page: How likely is the plan to pass?)
- Despite platform fatigue, educators use AI to bridge resource gaps - February 9, 2026
- 5 things CIOs need to know about IoT - March 20, 2017
- First-ever mobile predictive analytics solution - February 25, 2016