Obama to take gun agenda on the road
(CNN) - President Barack Obama will take his gun violence platform on the road with a stop in Minnesota next week, a White House official told CNN.
The president will meet with locals, area officials and law enforcement in Minneapolis to discuss his proposals, which he laid out two weeks ago after Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials held a series of meetings with stakeholders at various points on the gun control and rights spectrum.
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Minneapolis has been noted for taking initiative on the gun issue, including holding a recent regional gun summit hosted by the city's Democratic mayor, R.T. Rybak, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mayor Tom Barrett.
Both cities have experienced mass shootings in recent months: In September, a gunman killed at least five when he shot employees at a sign-making company, then killed himself. The Milwaukee area saw both the August shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek that left seven dead, including the gunman, and an October shooting in a suburban spa that killed at least three.
Obama met with two Minneapolis-area law enforcement officials when he sat down with local police and sheriffs on Tuesday at the White House. The meeting was attended by Minneapolis Chief Janeé Harteau and Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek. Stanek has also argued for measures such as increasing restrictions to prevent mentally ill people from accessing guns.
Earlier this month, Obama unveiled a two-pronged approach to gun violence that included legislation and a set of executive actions. He called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, institute universal background checks on gun purchases, outlaw gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, and confirm his nominee to lead the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives bureau.
Several members of Congress - the most high-profile being Sen. Dianne Feinstein - have introduced legislation along those lines, and the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on gun violence Wednesday.
His former campaign apparatus, re-cast as Organizing for America, has indicated its operation will advocate for Obama's gun platform. A recent email to the group's wide email list asked supporters to "stand with President Obama in tackling this critical issue."
And when he unveiled his proposal, Obama called for supporters of his position to be active.
"I will put everything I've got into this, and so will Joe," Obama said, standing alongside Biden. "But I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it. ... This will not happen unless the American people demand it. If parents and teachers, police officers and pastors, if hunters and sportsmen, if responsible gun owners, if Americans of every background stand up and say, enough; we've suffered too much pain and care too much about our children to allow this to continue – then change will come."
His gun control push on Monday comes the week after he held a campaign-style event in Nevada touting his principles for immigration reform. The White House has indicated Obama will push on both issues simultaneously, as Congress also faces the need for action on tough fiscal issues in the weeks ahead.
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Wyane's last name La Pierre, comes from the French meaning a "quarryman or stone carver".
La Pierre’s ancestors came from France or possibly Quebec Canada. Ironically both France and Quebec have some of the toughest gun control laws in the WORLD
Looks like La Pierre did not follow his ancestry he traded them in for death and destruction by guns.
He should change his name to Wayne Artilleur which means Wayne the “gunner” in French
Not sure he is even an American? if so only by one generation
Why can't this man stay home one day? No wonder the country is in such bad shape, no one is running it.
The man refuses to do anything but campaign. Literally.
This is a joke. First, background checks are already mandatory at gun shops and gun shows. The sale between two citizens dies not require a background check. To make this possible firearms would have to be registered. This would open a whole new can of worms. Second, "assault weapon" is a made up word.An assault rifle is a selective fire (selective between fully automatic, semi-automatic, and burst fire) rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Third, high capacity magazines are neither here or there. It's just a reload. About 1-1.5 seconds or less is all a reload takes. In closing, not one gun has ever killed a living thing. It take someone to pick up the gun, load the gun, cock the gun, aim the gun, and finally pull the trigger. All this is done by a person not a gun. Support the NRA and join today.
may be a nice gesture Mr President but sadly I think all it will do is just get you more attacks from the far right and FoxNews crowd and very little done where it needs to be done, in Congress. These folks in congress especially the Tea Party bunch have little shame or empathy because if they did they wouldn't have a 11% approval rating they seem not to care about. I hope by God I am wrong but so far this congress has done little for me to think otherwise.
I hope he takes a couple of Predator drones armed with HELLFIRE missiles along with him to show the Branch Davidian survivalist types that arguing that they should have assault weapons so that they can oppose the government is foolish.
Still campaigning....6 years and counting.
If only campaigning, was governing, our economy would be booming undr an Obama Presidency.
LOL. C'mon GOP! I thought Democrats were "sheeple"?? Yet, 86 out of every 100 NRA members support background checks and the NRA leadership goes before Congress and says "We do not support background checks!" LOL. Basically, the 86% of NRA members are funding the nut-brain ideas of the radical 14%. Tell me...who's "sheeple"?? And, why does that La...pue guy still have a job?? You know the one I mean...
Yeah, worry more about the gun control and worry less about our dismal economy. By the way Obama voters that work, how's that paycheck working out for ya. The one we're now collecting that has less money due to more taxes being taken out of it. Yeah right. This 'middle class' person has less money these days to live on. Now, what was that I hear from Obama and the Democrats that they are here for us hard working middle class folks. Try convincing me again how important middle class folks are to the Democrats.
Yeah, lets make proposals that have historically had no effect on controling violence. Lets continue to waste tax dollars on Obama campaigning... errr... I mean... no, he is still campaigning.
The NRA keeps spouting the phrase "law abiding gun owners". There is a big difference between "law abiding" and "responsible" gun owners.
Obama's proposals are mostly symbolic, mostly based on emotion, not on fact. Rifles account for only 4% of all gun homicides in the U.S., including so-called assault rifles. Shotguns, another 4%. The vast majority of gun deaths in the U.S. involve semi-automatic handguns, which are barely touched by the Obama-Biden proposals. It really seems like the Democrats have not thought the matter through. Their proposals don't address the root causes of gun violence much at all.
Vermont, with minimal gun control, has a lower murder rate than Canada. Feinstein's California, with all its gun control measures, has some of the most crime-ridden urban areas in the entire nation. Shouldn't we be getting our crime-control advice from Vermont, and not California? Taking crime advice from California's Feinstein is like asking the Detroit Lions front office how best to get to the Super Bowl: don't get your crime-control advice from those who have failed at their task.
What a stinking joke!!!
It is stupid to take away or gun that is what the USA is made out of. It is like Obama is saying come to the US and kill us.