Hillary Clinton on Gun Control: Executive Action Is An Option
The Democratic presidential candidates have been announcing their proposals to combat gun-related violence.
On Monday morning, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton called for comprehensive background checks for all gun purchases. According to a fact sheet, the Clinton campaign acknowledges President Bill Clinton signing of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (H.R. 1025) background check legislation, which blocked more than 2.4 million gun sales. While serving in the House of Representatives, fellow Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, voted against the bill.
Clinton wants to further increase the number of gun sales subject to background checks on a federal level. If Congress does not act to "tighten" Internet and gun show sales, Clinton is willing to take administrative action. The Clinton campaign stated she will "will take administrative action to require that any person attempting to sell a significant number of guns be deemed 'in the business' of selling firearms."
Taking into account the death rate of black males between 15 and 24 years old, Clinton also plans to revoke the gun licenses from gun dealers and increase inspections. Furthermore, Clinton wants to prohibit stalkers and domestic abusers from buying guns, ban military-style weapons from the streets and improve existing laws stopping people with severe mental illness from possessing or purchasing a gun.
While Sanders voted against the Brady bill, the Vermont senator, today, supports the ban of assault weapons, improving background checks at gun shows, and has voted for all Democratic gun bills introduced in Congress following the Sandy Hook shooting in 2013.
In September, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, fellow Democratic presidential candidate, also released his plan to prevent and reduce gun violence. In addition to expanding background checks to all gun sales, including Internet sales, O'Malley's plan calls for a national age requirement for handgun possession -- at a minimum 21 years old, encourage states to improve information sharing, prohibit anyone convicted of stalking and subject to emergency restraining orders from possessing a gun, and establish a centralized national firearms registry
Clinton and O'Malley also agree to revoke the licenses and increase inspections of gun dealers who break the law.
During an interview on Concord News Radio on Monday morning, O'Malley called on Clinton and Sanders to back "common sense" items to combat gun violence.
"I've called on the other candidates in this race -- Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders -- to join me in calling for the common sense things like a ban on combat assault weapons, requiring background checks with finger prints, using the full power of the federal government to insist that gun manufacturers do things like micro stamping and other best technology. Or to make illegal gun trafficking a federal crime, which it is not today," said O'Malley. "So I'm glad Secretary Clinton has come around to a couple of those things, hopefully she'll come around to the other parts."
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