By Jim Allen, Editor, NuVote Reach
Photo Credit: Getty Images
“I think there should be should changes,” is the advice President Barack Obama got from one of the children who wrote to him after the massacre of children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Appearing with several young letter writers at The White House on Wednesday, the President “put forth [what he called a] specific set of proposals” to try to stem gun violence in the United States and “protect our children.”
The president signed twenty-three executive orders in the presence of his young advisers, ranging from charging the CDC to study the impact of violent programming, ordering data sharing for the federal background check system, to school safety and school counseling initiatives.
Moreover, the president said the “Congress must act… right away to institute “universal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun.”
“Congress should restore a ban on military-style assault weapons” and mandate a “10-round limit on magazines,” said the president.
“Congress needs to help rather than hinder law enforcement” and “severely punish” anyone who buys a gun to sell illegally sell it to someone else, added the president.
The president is also asking Congress for $billions to put “more police back on the job and back on the streets” and to beef up enforcement. And called for confirmation of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Acting Director B. Todd Jones as his nominee for the permanent post – vacant for six years, due to political opposition.
“I know that laws have to be passed by Congress but I beg you to try very hard,” wrote another of the president’s youthful advisers.
The president called on citizens to make their positions clear to lawmakers, as his Congressional-focused initiatives will be political heavy lifts and meet vociferous and well-funded opposition.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), responding to President Obama’s framework, said on Wednesday “the president is abusing his power.”
NuVote Reach 
Rubio won’t be satisfied unless the youngest members of a family are awarded handguns and assault weapons as soon as they are big enough to hold them. This is a guy who claims to support family values — embarrasses me to claim him as an American.
Thanks for reading and writing
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All the attention is on limits . . . all in relation of violence among ourselves. I never hear mention of the possibility of foreign infiltrated forces that we might one day have to defend ourselves against. I think the government needs to butt out on imposing limits to law abiding citizens and focus on punishment for those who are not. Everything is getting turned upside down in our country.
Thanks for writing and writing…
I mean, reading and writing – smile
Jim, I appreciate your discussion. I personally, believe the states should be the center of any gun control and support nullifying federal mandates. gun control is not the only area, but in the areas of education it is the county school districts that know the most about their children so I support local rather than federal. i also support County Sheriffs and their constitutional foundation to protect our local citizens without federal intervention. Many sheriffs following Sheriff Mack who won a supreme court lawsuit against the federal govt, which supports that the county sheriff has the ultimate jurisdiction as the highest elected official in our local area. Many sheriffs in time of crisis have made local citizens deputies and provided emergency training and gun training preparedness. The same goes for health care, State and local knows better than Federal. I could care less about Republican or Democratic agendas, and am more supportive of local control and local money staying local. In Hays Country we would oppose and nullify any federal mandates which are not in the best interest of our townships.
I had to re-read the last paragraph, then the entire blog, thinking I missed something. Frightening that it is what it is. Mind-numbingly frightening.
Thanks for writing!