WATCH: President Obama unveils new gun-control proposals
The president also signed 23 executive orders on gun violence
On Wednesday, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive slate of gun-control proposals, in what is widely seen as the most expansive effort by the executive branch in recent memory to reduce gun violence in America. As expected, Obama called on Congress to implement universal background checks for guns; reinstate a federal ban on military-style assault weapons; and set a 10-round limit for gun magazines. With a group of children standing behind him, Obama said, "While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a divisive one." He added, "The most important changes we can make depend on congressional action. They need to bring these proposals up for a vote."
Obama also signed 23 executive actions to bolster gun control, a controversial move that has already enraged some conservatives. They include ordering federal agencies to contribute information to a federal background check system; urging states to share information from background checks; strengthening the enforcement of existing gun laws; and nominating a director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco, a weakened agency that is technically the president's most potent bureaucratic tool to enforce gun laws. The 23 actions are listed in full below.
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Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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