After a photo shoot of Sandy Hook Elementary School, several weapons laws were proposed in the United States at the federal and state levels. The shootings renewed the debate over gun control. The debate focuses on requiring background checks on all arms sales (called universal background checks), and on passing through new and expanded weapons attacks and bans on high-capacity magazines.
Video Gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
​​â € <â €
On December 14, 2012, twenty children and seven adults died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It was the deadliest primary or secondary school shoot, the third deadly massacre by one person, and one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
Maps Gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Initial response
Within a few hours of shooting, We the People users began a petition requesting the White House to "immediately address the issue of weapon control through the introduction of legislation in Congress," and the Brady Campaign's weapons control advocacy group to Prevent Pistol Violence reported that the avalanche of donations caused the website to crash. That afternoon, President Barack Obama made a televised statement offering condolences on behalf of the country to Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy and said, "we must gather together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of politics." Speaking at a December 16 memorial service in Newtown, Obama said he would "use whatever power this office has" to prevent similar tragedies. On December 17, the White House petition had more than 150,000 signatures, and a week after the shooting nearly 200,000, along with 30 similar petitions.
The Gallup poll was conducted a few days after the shooting showed "mixed results" regarding public opinion about the law of firearms. While public support for strengthening gun legislation increased 15 percent compared to similar polls in 2011, there was "little change in attitudes about some old proposals, including banning assault rifles." A law requiring background checks on all arms sales - favored by 92 percent of Americans and a law that prohibits the sale and ownership of high-capacity magazines (defined by polls as those capable of holding more than 10 rounds) is supported by 62 percent of Americans. Record high 74 percent opposed the gun bans and 51 percent opposed the ban on assault weapons.
White House Action
On December 19, 2012, President Obama announced the creation of an inter-agency armed forces task force headed by Vice President Joe Biden. The task force held 22 meetings and gathered ideas from 229 organizations.
NRA and congressional Republican say that violent video games are a big part of the problem, but that does not end on the list of recent recommendations. After meeting Biden, the NRA issued a statement saying that "disappointed at how little this meeting should be done by keeping our children safe and how much to do with the agenda to attack the Second Amendment."
On January 16, 2013, President Obama announced plans to reduce gun violence in four parts: closing the background check slit; prohibit arms and magazine attacks of high capacity; making schools safer; and improve access to mental health services. The plan includes 23 executive actions, signed immediately by the president, and 12 proposals for Congress.
The actions of executives signed by President Obama are:
- Issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the National Instant Criminal Background Inspection System (NICS).
- Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly those relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which may prevent the state from making information available to NICS.
- Increase incentives for countries to share information with NICS.
- Direct the public prosecutor to review the category of individuals who are forbidden to have a gun to ensure dangerous people do not escape the loopholes.
- Proposes the creation of rules to give law enforcement authorities the ability to run full background checks on a person before returning a seized weapon.
- Publish letters from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to federal licensed arms dealers who provide guidance on how to run a background check for a personal seller.
- Start a national safe and responsible weapons ownership campaign.
- Review security standards for rifle keys and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
- Publishes a presidential memorandum to require federal law enforcement to track weapons found in criminal investigations.
- Releases reports that analyze information about lost and stolen weapons and makes them widely available to law enforcement authorities.
- Nominate an ATF director.
- Provide law enforcement authorities, first responders, and school officials with appropriate training for situations of armed attack.
- Maximize law enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute weapons crime.
- Publishes a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to examine gun violence.
- Direct the attorney general to issue reports on the availability and the most effective use of new weapon security technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.
- Clarify that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not prohibit doctors from asking their patients about weapons in their homes.
- Released a letter to a health care provider clarifying that there is no federal law that prohibits them reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
- Providing incentives for schools to hire school resource personnel.
- Develop models of emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education.
- Release a letter to a state health official clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid should cover.
- Complete the rules that outline important health benefits and parity requirements in exchange for insurance.
- Commit to resolving mental health parity rules.
- Starts a national dialogue on mental health led by Kathleen Sebelius, health and human services secretary, and Arne Duncan, education secretary.
The White House's proposed congress is this:
- Requires criminal background checks for all arms sales, including those that are currently excluded private sellers.
- Restore and strengthen the 1994 federal Assault Weapons Arms (AWB 1994) ending in 2004.
- Restrict the magazine to 10 rounds of ammunition.
- Prohibits possession of armor piercing by anyone other than members of the military and law enforcement.
- Increases criminal penalties for "straw buyers" who pass the background checks required to buy weapons on behalf of others.
- Acting on a $ 4 billion administration proposal to help keep 15,000 police officers on the road.
- Confirming President Obama's nomination for the director (ATF).
- Eliminates restrictions requiring ATF to allow the import of weapons over the age of 50.
- Fund the program to train more police officers, first responders, and school officials on how to respond to active armed attacks.
- Provide an additional $ 20 million to help expand the system that tracks deaths from violence across the country from 18 states to 50 states.
- Provide $ 30 million in state grants to help schools develop emergency response plans.
- Provide financing to expand mental health programs for young people.
The proposal was opposed by the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and the opposition is expected by Republicans and some Democratic legislators.
Advocacy group action
On December 21, 2012 - between the formation of the Biden task force and the announcement of Obama's proposal - Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), expressed sympathy for weapons groups for the Newtown family. LaPierre said that the zero-school zone attracted the killers, and that "the media condemned legitimate arms owners, strengthened their screams for more laws, and filled the national media with misinformation and dishonest thinking" just delay the meaningful action. " He said, "The only thing that stops the bad guy with the gun is the good guy with the gun," and that arguing that the law would not work would be a waste of time. He called on Congress "to act immediately on what it takes to place armed police in every school in the country" so that every school in America will be safe when students return to school in January 2013. LaPierre announces that the NRA will develop a National Model School Shield Program for every American school that wants it.
After the LaPierre press conference, Brady's Campaign called for donations to support arms control advocacy and asked members of the NRA "who believe like us, that we are better than this" to join his campaign. On January 8, 2013, former Congressman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and wounded in a 2011 shooting in Tucson, launched America for Responsible Solutions to raise money for weapons control efforts to counter the influence of powerful pro-gun groups like the NRA.
Congressional Action
Proposed ban on attack weapons
On January 24, 2013, Senator Dianne Feinstein and 24 Democratic cosponors introduced the S. 150, Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (AWB 2013). That's similar to a federal ban that runs out in 1994 but is different because it uses a one-feature test for firearms to be considered as an assault weapon, not a two-feature test of a 1994 ban. The gun control advocates say more stringent tests will make guns less attractive to fans weapons. In addition, it will be prohibited:
- the sale, transfer, import or manufacture of about 150 named firearms;
- firearms with "thumb stock" and "bullet" button;
- import of large-scale assault guns and magazines;
- and large-capacity ammunition feeder devices (defined as those capable of holding more than 10 revolutions).
It will have legally-owned weapons on the day of enforcement and exclude 2,258 specific firearms "used for hunting or sports purposes," of which only 33 are semi-automatic centerfire weapons.
Feinstein wants firearms listed under the National Firearms Act, which currently lists machine guns, silencers, and short barrel rifles.
On March 14, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill, though it was not expected to complete the Senate or Council. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to abandon the proposed ban out of the broader weapons control bill, saying that it was not possible to win 40 votes in a 100-member space and that it would endanger more supported proposals. On the morning of April 17, 2013, the bill failed at a 40 to 60 vote. It was supported by Democrat Reid and Republican Senator Mark Kirk, but 15 Democrats, one independent, and all Republicans except Kirk voted against the ban.
Checked universal background check
The Manchin-Toomey amendment is a bi-partisan law sponsored by Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Pat Toomey who will need background checks on most private firearms sales. The bill is known as Amchin Amendment. 715 was selected and defeated on April 17, 2013 with a vote of 54-46. It takes 60 votes to qualify.
Country action
On April 3, 2013, only five states have passed more stringent weapons control laws, while ten states have passed laws that weaken firearm restrictions.
Connecticut
In the morning hours of April 4, 2013, the Connecticut General Assembly passed new restrictions on the prohibition of existing state invasion weapons. Governor Dannel Malloy signed it on the same day. The law prohibits the sale or purchase of magazines capable of withholding more than ten rounds of ammunition as used in Sandy Hook Elementary School photoshoots, and requires a universal background check for all gun purchase.
The arms owner challenges the law, but federal judge Alfred Covello upholds the law, controls it constitutionally and writes, "While it imposes the rights of the Plaintiffs' Second Amendment, it is substantially related to the important governmental interests of public safety and crime control." The gun owners say they will appeal.
In February 2014, Hartford Courant reported that Connecticut had processed some 50,000 weapons of attacker certificates, but anywhere from 50,000 to 350,000 remained unlisted. "And that means," wrote the Courant's And Haar, "on January 1st, Connecticut has been very likely to create tens of thousands of newly-printed criminals - perhaps 100,000 people, almost certainly at least 20,000 - - who do not violate any other laws. "Frank Miniter wrote in April 2014 Forbes op-ed that more than 300,000 Connecticut residents decided not to register their 'assault weapons', remove them from the state, or sell them."
New York
In January 2013, New York became the first US state to act after a Sandy Hook Elementary School shoot. The Secure Ammunition and Firearms Act (AMAN) was passed in the state Senate 43-18 on 15 January and freed the New York State Assembly after about five hours of debate on Tuesday, 16 January. It was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo an hour later. The move broadens the definition of a banned attacking weapon in New York, creates state databases for gun clearance, reduces the maximum number of legally permitted turns in the magazine to seven out of ten, and requires a universal background check on all arms sales.
A dozen members of the Republican conference chose to measure, but the Republican Senate leaders did not attend the signing ceremony. The NRA referred to the assembly's actions as "the ultimate secret that surrounds the legislative and democratic process... without committee hearings and no public input," and said the law was "cruel."
In a related move, the state financial superintendent announces that the state pension fund will freeze its investments in public arms factories. Ownership of funds in Smith & amp; Wesson was sold in December, after the shooting in Connecticut.
The SAFE Act has been challenged. On December 31, 2013, a federal court judge dropped a seven-lap action limit in a magazine capable of holding 10, but upheld an expanded ban on weapons of assault. In April 2014, the decision was still under appeal, and another challenge, that the bill was being tracked improperly, was dismissed by trial-level judges. Plaintiffs say that he will take the decision to the Court of Appeal of New York.
Non-compliance with this new law has been reported in New York. Frank Miniter wrote in April 2014 Maryland
On April 4, 2013, the Maryland General Assembly passed the bill controlling law of Governor Martin O'Malley, the Law of Arms Safety 2013. The ban prohibits the purchase of 45 types of assault weapons and limits weapons magazines to 10 rounds. It requires licensing pistols and fingerprints for new weapon owners, and prohibits those who inadvertently commit to mental health facilities from purchasing weapons.
References
Further reading
- Feinstein, Dianne (January 24, 2013). "S. 150: Assault Weapons Ban of 2013". govtrack.us .
- Cook, Philip J.; Goss, Kristin A. (2014). The Gun Debate: What Everybody Should Know . Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-933898-6 . Retrieved April 13 2014 .
- DeBrabander, Firmin (2018). Audio books: Do Weapons Make Us Free? Democracy and Armed Society. Yale Press University. Ã, ASIN: B07CGH7R79
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments