# Obama is planning to use Executive Orders for gun control. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673 "2013-01-09T21:29:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/101 "2013-01-15T21:56:05Z")
Ho hum. ---
**Author:** ![thenonepercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@thenonepercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thenonepercent)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/102 "2013-01-15T22:03:10Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8QjZY3WiO9s/hqdefault.jpg "Proof that Concealed Carry permit holders live in a dream world, Part One") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QjZY3WiO9s) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/103 "2013-01-15T22:33:19Z")
There was an interesting article in the Atlantic Wire about what kind of executive order Obama might be able to use to address gun violence. One of the more powerful tools at his disposal would be to instruct the CDC to study gun violence. The NRA has used its coffers to prevent a better understanding of gun violence in the past and have sought to prevent government research into the topic, which is precisely why they are able to point to a lack of data that supports their greater gun control. [http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/executive-order-nra-should-fear-most/61004/](http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/executive-order-nra-should-fear-most/61004/) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/104 "2013-01-15T22:47:34Z")
thenonepercent, [http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-mom-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/story?id=18164812](http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-mom-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/story?id=18164812) She must not have gotten the memo that her gun can only be used to hurt her or her family and couldn’t possibly keep her safe. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/105 "2013-01-15T22:59:25Z")
> [@thenonepercent](#): > > The illusion here is that a gun is going to somehow make you safe. Acknowledge that it won’t, and you’ll be better able to handle the trauma that comes your way. You’re not an action hero. Arming yourself will only give you the false sense of security that you can do protect yourself or your family. > > You can’t. It’s a security blanket, one that leads to dangerous overconfidence. You can’t stop a gunman. You can’t stop an armed intruder. All you can do is try and fail. You clearly know nothing about armed self-defense. Arming myself does not give me a false sense of invulnerability; it merely gives me a tool that _may_ be useful if I ever find myself with my back to the wall and with no options left to me but to fight for my life. And I may well be able to stop an armed intruder. Not all armed intruders are carrying a gun, and because I practice regularly with my pistol I’m going to be a more accurate shot than most of the ones who are. It’s not who shoots first that counts, it’s who manages the first _aimed_ shot. If the intruder shoots first and me hits me in the shoulder and I return fire and hit him square in the chest, I’ll be going to the hospital but he will be going to the morgue. Oh, and those special people you mentioned with that special training? It’s not magic. Civilians who are motivated can learn the same defensive gun skills as the police. It’s just a matter of practice. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/106 "2013-01-15T23:12:26Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > It’s not who shoots first that counts, it’s who manages the first _aimed_ shot. I’d be shaking so badly I couldn’t aim. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/107 "2013-01-15T23:32:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’d be shaking so badly I couldn’t aim. That’s why we need hand grenades. Aim, shmaim. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/108 "2013-01-16T00:03:44Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > That’s why we need hand grenades. Aim, shmaim. What are the mines used in the Vietnam war with “THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY”? I want some of those. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/109 "2013-01-16T00:06:26Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What are the mines used in the Vietnam war with “THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY”? I want some of those. Claymores, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/110 "2013-01-16T01:09:30Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Claymores, I believe. Thanks! I’m off to the gun show. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/111 "2013-01-16T02:26:02Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > thenonepercent, > > [http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-mom-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/story?id=18164812](http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-mom-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/story?id=18164812) > > She must not have gotten the memo that her gun can only be used to hurt her or her family and couldn’t possibly keep her safe. These folks did, including a 12 year old who shot his cousin with a gun he got for Christmas, whoopsie! > **[Ohh Shoot](http://ohhshoot.blogspot.com)** ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/112 "2013-01-16T17:14:44Z")
Here are the [23 Executive Actions on Guns](http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obamas-23-planned-executive-actions-on-guns?ref=fpblg)that Obama has announced: > [@](#): > > 1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system. > > 2. 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. > > 3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system. > > 4. 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. > > 5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun. > > 6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers. > > 7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign. > > 8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission). > > 9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations. > > 10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement. > > 11. Nominate an ATF director. > > 12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations. > > 13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime. > > 14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence. > > 15. 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. > > 16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. > > 17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities. > > 18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers. > > 19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education. > > 20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover. > > 21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges. > > 22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations. > > 23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/113 "2013-01-16T17:54:17Z")
Yeah, but I bet the door-to-door confiscation thing was #24 and they just ran out of room. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/114 "2013-01-16T18:42:43Z")
Number 14, “Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence,” is buried in the middle, but is an important one, the NRA has a history of preventing this kind of research. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/115 "2013-01-16T19:15:08Z")
It’ll take awhile before we know how these Executive Orders will be used. Whats the ultimate goal behind them? First glance they look harmless enough. Some don’t even look like they directly have a connection to gun control. Three years from now there may be a big uproar over some of these orders. #16 could be misused. Is that question going to become a standard one on those medical papers we fill out at the Doctors? _Do you own guns? If yes, Please describe._ If you have the flu or a urinary track infection a question like that is intrusive. That question is only legitimate if you are seeing a psychiatrist or someone else in the mental health field. IMHO and even then only for potentially violent problems like schizophrenia. Like anything the intent and implementation is key with these orders. Does anyone want gun owner written on their medical chart in bright red letters? > [@](#): > > 1. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/116 "2013-01-16T19:19:36Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Three years from now there may be a big uproar over some of these orders. #16 could be misused. Is that question going to become a standard one on those medical papers we fill out at the Doctors? _Do you own guns? If yes, Please describe._ If you have the flu or a urinary track infection a question like that is intrusive. That question is only legitimate if you are seeing a psychiatrist or someone else in the mental health field. IMHO and even then only for potentially violent problems like schizophrenia. Nonsense. My primary care physician asked that question (and is permitted to) at my first getting-to-know-you visit, along with a host of other questions about my general wellness - the length of my commute, my working environment, diet, family life and stress… anything that could affect your health or physical safety is something worth knowing, if I’m willing to disclose it. All Obama is doing is clarifying that the ACA doesn’t _disallow_ this question, which was not disallowed before and which I am, have been, and remain free to answer or not as I please. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/117 "2013-01-16T19:29:28Z")
#16 was just an example. Right now we just don’t know how any of these orders will be implemented. Thats always a key concern in any bureaucracy. An analogy, would be the seat belt laws. Seems harmless. Seems like it saves lives. But, it also creates an excuse for unlawful searches. Cops use any traffic stop as an excuse to look for anything they can bust you on. Was that the _intent_ behind the seat belt laws? No. But real world, thats how traffic stops are used/misused. Its an another loophole around the 4th amendment. ---
**Author:** ![Mgalindo13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mgalindo13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mgalindo13)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/118 "2013-01-16T19:53:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > #16 was just an example. Right now we just don’t know how any of these orders will be implemented. Thats always a key concern in any bureaucracy. > > An analogy, would be the seat belt laws. Seems harmless. Seems like it saves lives. But, it also creates an excuse for unlawful searches. Cops use any traffic stop as an excuse to look for anything they can bust you on. Was that the _intent_ behind the seat belt laws? No. But real world, thats how traffic stops are used/misused. Its an another loophole around the 4th amendment. Not wearing your seat belt doesn’t allow a peace officer to search your person or your vehicle. It might be a BS ticket, but it’s not a probable cause. Any cop using solely your lack of wearing a seat belt as a reason to search your car would have anything he discovered tossed out pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/119 "2013-01-16T20:52:14Z")
I have to admit that overall it seems a pretty moderate and sensible list. Some of it even looks like it might do some good. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673/120 "2013-01-17T10:56:55Z")
I was worried about exactly what the executive orders would be. Concerned enough that we sent another check this week to the NRA to help with their opposition. When the list finally came out, we ended up laughing and I actually got choked and had a coughing fit (Omigod! He’s going to increase dialogue! Watch out!). The wife opined maybe they’re hoping NRA members will be laughing so hard they choke on their cigars or something. 😛 I realize some of those could be problematic, but I’m no longer worried. The NRA’s probably right in their latest prediction. Nothing of significance is going to happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-planning-to-use-executive-orders-for-gun-control/646673.md?page=7)