President Obama's Gun Violence Prevention Proposals

"As a society, our first task must be to care for our children – to shield them from harm and give them the tools they need not only to pursue their dreams, but to help build this country. That is how we will be judged. And in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, it’s clear we have a long way to go.

That’s why, last month, I asked Vice President Biden to lead an effort to come up with concrete steps we can take right now to keep our kids safe, help prevent mass shootings, and reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country. And on Wednesday, I put forward a specific set of proposals based on Joe’s recommendations. Because while there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence – if even one life can be saved – we have an obligation to try.

As President, I’m committed to doing my part. That’s why I signed 23 executive actions giving law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals, and the public health community the tools they need to help reduce gun violence."

Getty/The White House

The 23 executive actions are:

• Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
• 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.
• Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
• 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.
• Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
• Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
• Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
• Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
• Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
• Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
• Nominate an ATF director.
• Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
• Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
• Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
• 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.
• Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
• Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
• Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
• Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
• Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
• Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
• Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
• Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.

Now is the time to act. Lobby your member of Congress. Join a community group. Stand with the President.

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