Pirate's Cove

Nice to see an elected Republican calling it as she sees it and fighting back, instead of the typical mumbling that comes from Republicans

(Daily Caller) “President Obama is once again exploiting a tragedy for political gain and eroding our constitutional rights for the sake of an extreme liberal agenda,” Ellmers said in the statement.

“We need to have a serious discussion on how we can prevent troubled individuals from carrying out their insane intentions. But attacking our legal rights and liberties through abusive executive orders destroys the very principles that have protected our citizens from oppressive government power for over 236 years.”

This was in response to Obama’s “23 directives” and 9 legislative proposals announced Wednesday, as Obama surrounded himself with kiddie shields. And what are those 23 directives? David Weigel at Slate was nice enough to compile them from the White House website (which is replete with more human shields)

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.

Exactly what to these accomplish? For the most part, nothing? Many are ways of strengthening ObamaCare and involving it even more in people’s lives. Number 4 would allow for restricting handgun ownership from even more Americans based on the whim of a man who’s department ran guns into Mexico which resulted in the deaths of 200 Mexicans and 2 American federal agents, and then decided to stonewall a Congressional investigation. For the most part, criminals illegally owning guns is ignored.

Then we get his 9 policy recommendations

• Require criminal background checks for all gun sales. (a.k.a. closing the “gun show loophole.”)
• Reinstate and strengthen the assault weapons ban.
• Restore the 10-round limit on ammunition magazines.
• Protect police by finishing the job of getting rid of armor-piercing bullets.
• Give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime.
• End the freeze on gun violence research.
• Make our schools safer with more school resource officers and school counselors, safer climates, and better emergency response plans.
• Help ensure that young people get the mental health treatment they need.
• Ensure health insurance plans cover mental health benefits.

Again, none of this offers a way to go after criminals with guns (except after the fact): it puts the burden on law abiding citizens. Oh, and again attempts to strengthen ObamaCare.

Oh, and not one word on the violence emanating from the entertainment and video games industries.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.