January 06, 2016

Obama tightens gun control - but does it mean anything?

located:	USA
editor:	Vanessa Ellingham

President Obama's eyes welled up as he announced a tightening of gun controls in the USA yesterday, visibly moved by the amount of destruction gun violence has caused on Americans and their families in recent years.

His speech, marking his final year in office, announced a closing of loopholes that currently enable people to buy guns online and at fairs without background checks.

As an answer to his detractors, Obama explained this is not a “plot to take your guns” but comparable to going through metal detectors to board a plane and merely “the price of living in a civilised society”.

As well as expanding background checks to clarify that online sellers and gun shows need to be licensed, Obama also called on Congress to authorise extra spending for mental health and enforcement agents as well as new research into technology that can prevent unauthorised use of weapons by children and thieves.

“We need to develop new technologies that make guns safer,” he said. “If we can develop technology that you can’t unlock your phone unless you’ve got the right fingerprint, why can’t we do it for guns? If a child can’t open a bottle of Aspirin, we should make sure that they can’t pull the trigger on a gun.”

However, the real legwork of these ideas will be left to his successor.

And if that successor is Republican, these plans are unlikely to go ahead.

Although Obama too executive action on background checks, Republicans showed they would oppose any and all of his moves - a sign that he lacks the necessary authority.

So while seeing the President cry over human tragedy might be rousing for a section of the population, wider support for these moves is evidently lacking.