Gun Reform

“SHAME ON US IF WE’VE FORGOTTEN”… words used by Obama yesterday as he signaled that as time goes on after Newton, the political momentum for achieving gun reform has stalled. First Read writes, “There is still more than a chance that Senate Democrats are able to strike some sort of compromise with a handful of GOP senators on universal background checks. But there is a reason why Obama used the bully pulpit yesterday: The Democrats’ gun efforts have hit a wall in Congress.” BYPASSING CONGRESS, OBAMA PUSHING GUN CONTROL WITH EXECUTIVE ACTION Although President Obama publicly called on Congress to move forward with gun-control legislation Thursday … he has also been using executive power to move gun control forward himself, The Hill reports. Thus far, Obama has bolstered the national background check system, pushed for government research on the causes of gun violence, and established a million-dollar ad campaign to promote safe gun ownership. According to The Hill, “The executive steps will give federal law enforcement officials access to more data about guns and their owners, help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and lay the groundwork for future legislative efforts.” RUBIO PLANNING TO FILIBUSTER GUN LEGISLATION Gun-control legislation is scheduled to hit the Senate floor after the current two-week recess, The Hill reports. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Thursday joined a group of Republican senators threatening to filibuster, which includes Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas.