The NRA hasn't responded to the President's announcement today--at least not in the link in the story.

Further, the idea they promoted--more cops in schools--was one of the President's suggestions today.

It was well explained, well thought out, and I am dubious about anything getting through Congress. Congress does not care about the health and safety of average Americans. It cares about getting re-elected. Even the horrible death that the Newtown children endured will not soften the gun industry lead by the NRA with it's republican dupes.

Look at it this way. Illegal drugs are banned. That works well, eh? No one imports them, no criminals have them; no one sells them and no one uses them, right? Exactly the way any weapons ban will work - it won't. While I see no need for anyone to possess an assault rifle or a clip that holds 30 rounds, banning these will simply not eliminate the problem. Those that want them will still get them.

The executive actions seem as (most) of them are a good measure to incentive's areas not currently enforcing laws to work towards enforcing them. This would (hopefully) help them to actually follow laws that could help prevent bad guys from getting guns easily as well as help to find mental health issues earlier.

I do not personally agree with EO #16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. This will have the probably effect of discriminating health care away from gun owners as has been seen before.

Remember, the gun is a tool, if you set up everyone that owns a gun as a probable criminal then you have already weighted your findings to reflect against those people. If you want to make the world a safer place, then you must look at it as a whole and not through a narrow point of view.

It's not going to change anything. They need to restore a lot of the mental health programs that have been cut over the years and get these people some help. Responsible gun owners aren't committing these horrific acts.

The Federal Government cannot control itself. How then will it control Guns?

I think its time to thank the President for stepping up to address a problem that needs America's attention. Please Congress - stop your temper tantrums and get to work making us all safer.

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

11. Nominate an ATF director.

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.

I find it pitiful that he exploited those children today.
Most of his orders will have zero effect on violent crime such as Newtown or Aurora and only cause more regulation and force spending of money we don't have.
He and his willing progressive conspirators are trying to obfuscate and reframe the true intent of the Second Amendment.
Interesting how he wants to limit the rights of responsible gun owners yet made no no mention of the effects of Hollywood or video game violence that plays a little mentioned role in all of thes violence.
I only hope that Congress steps in to fight this assault on our Constitutional Rights!

I agree Apljak about exploiting the kids for a photo op. Just imagine if Bush had signed anti-abortion legislation doing the same thing? The lefties would have a coronary.

This is yet another knee jerk reaction that the libs throw more money at while solving no problems.

Responsible gun owners are not committing these crimes, so all of this pomp and circumstance won't do squat. And way to use those kids for your agenda. Pathetic!

I wonder if children were prompted to write letters about their fears of this administration spending their money and creating more debt for them, if he would hold a press conference with them about the debt ceiling...NOT!

According to most recent statistics available from the Centers of Disease Control, we apparently average 600 gun deaths per WEEK in the U.S including 56% for suicide and the rest for accidental or homicide. (We apparently average 223 deaths a week for homicide).
Can we all agree that this is too many and that something should be done? Doesn't Obama's plan help? That's all I'm looking for, a reduction in the obscene number of gun deaths in the U.S.

Kudos to President Obama for putting forth these measures. Now if only Congress will do some work to pass this overdue legislation into law.

He didn't do one thing to stop anyone with any type of a gun entering a school or a shopping center. What needs to be done is to enforce/create stricter penalties for any crime committed with a firearm. All of the criminals just breathed a sigh of relief, because they are still not affected. Only law abiding citizens are. The whole thing was sad. Very sad, that what was put forth today was the best our President could come up with. Sad that he paraded children in his agenda too.

No idea why the author would put the word consensus in quotation marks, as if to imply that it was debatable. Obama is doing what the majority of Americans want, which is why he was voted in again.

Pew Poll: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/14/poll-gun-control-that-americans-support/

ABC/Washington Post Poll: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-says-hell-offer-plans-to-stem-gun-violence-this-week/2013/01/14/b7ad8ea8-5e6c-11e2-90a0-73c8343c6d61_story.html

I would say that with poll figures that strong in support of what he is proposing, that he rightfully would call that a consensus of Americans.

Are any of you anti-gun nuts willing to put a "Gun Free House" sign up on your front lawn?

Oh really Jan? And when was that exactly?

Is anyone looking at the amount of privacy that is being sacrificed. Essentially all your info, including medical records and your or your childs conversation with a doctor, now all on one big government database.

# 2 You sign away your right to privacy whenever you sign the HIPA form. Have you ever read it.

# 16 Doctors getting government permission to spy on you.

# 16, 20, 21, 22 More OBAMACARE updates. See. We really don't know what is it this this, because it can change at anytime.

All the new locks and safes, Well, there are 2 industries that will be growing.

So much of these 23 EOs are fluff. Ex. nominate an ATF director. Part of YOUR responsibility Mr. President!

He should be impeached... Getting the obamacare passed was illegal... Now he want to take away are rights.... Rule one for starting a dictatorship take away there guns...

I suspect most gun owners do not even belong to the NRA. Their only function is to promote the gun manufacturers and make "profits" for them. There is no reason to punish a hunter with a shotgun, but there is need to get military style weapons off the streets. Gun owners need to be held legally responsible for their deadly weapons. It is about time this happens......

Why is there a need to get " military style weapons off the streets" ? They account for less then 1.5 % of gun deaths. What we need is to keep criminals and fruitloops from getting guns.

How many guns are owned in the US? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_guns_are_in_the_United_States_of_America
Seems like we could get by with fewer.

Lets all look at the problem how many are on death role straining the countrys taxes.Allowing early release of sex offenders and lessor assualt crimes do to over population of prisons.Lesser time for murders and more time for crimes that are not violent.Its time to quite being passive againest violent crimes and become violent upon people commiting crimes.No more appeals for the criminals caught with the smoking gun knife club or what ever used to commit againest a law abiding people.We need to not keep thoses criminals in jail they need to go from courtroom to the deathchamber.Things will not change unless we change in how theses violent criminals are handle.More gun laws wont work we need to put more citizens on the street with many hours of training learning everyone to handle a firearm proficently with deadly accuracey.I belive in more training for anyone owening firearms tto defened our kids our schools and malls are homes and all public places.Criminals dont follow the law neither do crazy people so why disarm law abiding citizens who can protect others.We need not to be handleing violent crimes so lightly ,Criminals have no rights so lets stop giving them rights.We

are the only ccountry

WE are the only country that is so lientent on violent crimes its time to take the gloves off and show the violent criminals that the only thing they have forward to look for is fact they go to deathchamber as soon as they are found guilty.

Mike Healey

3:15 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013

Do you consider yourself to be a "fruitloop"?

No Mike I dont. I dont have fantasies of wasting room fulls of people that I dont know.

its a no win situation, everyone gets terrified when others are shot like the theater and new tonw as well we should, what if it were one of our kids, brothes, sisters parent that was shot. would we think different and blame the president for doing nothing? i agree people will get guns no matter. but if you have nothing to hide and are not menatally ill why objecy ? ho many more have to die? he isnt taking rifles away from hunters, or guns out of our homes. trying to stop the murders as best he can. feel bad for him either way he cant win. guess its best to do nothing at all and let it continue?

When Sandy Hook first happened, my initial thought was, it's time to get rid of these high capacity magazines and limit how many shots they can spew at a time.

Then as time went on and the discussions began [the intelligent ones], I found myself leaning more towards the idea we need to address mental health issues in our society. Instead of spending money on unneeded SRO's and bunkering up the schools, maybe having councilors in schools to help those with developmental issues have an avenue for help and support.

Seems to me, if your a well balanced individual, you see a gun as a tool for hunting or protection, you see video games and movies as mindless entertainment, but to those who these things seem to influence in an unhealthy manner, it;s bovious there is some kind of unbalance.

Do we need guns that can take out an entire room in under 1 minute in the hands of every day people? Or do we need to be looking at our societal influences and how they can trouble those who are susceptible? Both are legitimate parts to the discussion, in my personal opinion.

It has already been admitted by VP Biden himself the current gun laws in place meant to keep guns out of the criminals hands have not even upheld by our government due to the lack of funding and manpower to do so. We should give control of gun regulations over to the same federal government who's at fault for the system we have now not working. If they can't handle the simple measures in place now thinking we can trust them to handle an even more complex and costly system is asinine. Not too mention all that extra effort would be for a solution that facts show doesn't make any significant difference. We don't need another fix on paper we need violence control solutions that we can institute now that will be effective, easy, and not infringe on our rights.

@ Scott_NH And one of the questions for the certification exam to see if you are capable of getting a gun should be, will you ever need a 30 round magazine? If the answer comes back yes that should count against you!

@ R. Scott Wright Your point on gun deaths is correct. It's not the NRA membership, or winning an argument, or hurting hunters/sportsmen, it's limiting the numbers of deaths people. Well over 1k since Sandy Hook.

obamas ''gun control measures'' like the rest of his pushed through legislation will do nothing to fix the problem of CRIMINAL gun violence while spending billions of the American taxpayers dollars on ''feel good legislation'', its business as usual in WISHington