Our Best Defense

Obama started off the new year by taking executive action to "reduce gun Violence and make our communities safer". Obama has been pushing for gun control since his election to office and with his second term coming to an end he has followed through. He used several of the mass shootings that took place in 2015 to set the stage for his executive order. After politicizing the deaths of the victims of the shootings in Oregon, Charleston, San Bernardino and others Obama felt the time was right to, once again , tighten the government's grip on the American people. Here's a quick summary of Obama's most recent executive order. 

•  Keeping  guns out of the wrong hands through background checks
• Clarify that it doesn’t matter where you conduct your business—from a store, at gun shows, or over the Internet: If you’re in the business of selling firearms, you must get a license and conduct background checks. 
• Require background checks for people trying to buy some of the most dangerous weapons and other items through a trust or corporation. 
• Ensure States are providing records to the background check system, and work cooperatively with jurisdictions to improve reporting.
• Make the background check system more efficient and effective.
• Making our Communities safer from gun violence 
• Make the background check system more efficient and effective.
• Ensure that dealers notify law enforcement about the theft or loss of their guns.
• Issue a memo directing every U.S. Attorney’s Office to renew domestic violence outreach efforts.
• Increase Mental Health Treatment and Reporting to the Background Check System
• Dedicate significant new resources to increase access to mental health care.
• Include information from the Social Security Administration in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm.
• Remove unnecessary legal barriers preventing States from reporting relevant information to the background check system. 
• Shaping the Future of Gun Safety Technology
• Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security to take two important steps to promote smart gun technology.

The actual order goes into great depth on each of these points and it outlines specific steps and actions. In the past week I can't tell you how many liberals I have had assure me that "no one is taking your guns!"Well of course not. No president in their right mind would try to take away the guns of their already heavily armed citizens. What he is doing is making it harder for American citizens to obtain firearms. That way guns wont have to been taken away. Because with a little restrictions they will eventually disappear on their own. Obama's executive order is just one step closer to a complete overhaul of the second amendment.  The next generation will accept the restrictions as the norm and then more will be implemented. The cycle will continue until the new American norm does not include the right to bear arms. The scary part is that we wont have anyone to blame but ourselves. Most Americans are unaware of the presidents latest executive order. Those who do keep up on current events don't care. Most American's see nothing wrong with a few more restrictions. We have become lazy in our freedom. We have always enjoyed a free life and, apart from what we see in the movies, we really have no idea what it would be like to live without freedom. We don't recognize threats to our freedom unless they have immediate and profound effects. I am not as scared for my rights as I am for my kids rights. If we continue to give a little ground here and a little there we wont have any ground to stand on.
Another issue is the fact that Obama issued a executive order. He knew they wouldn't pass it so he bi-passed Congress completely. A rather hypocritical move considering a little over a week later he delivered his state of the union address and called for more debate on complicated issues. To be honest Obama's hypocrisy is no surprise, it's something that we have come to expect. For the American people it seems that there is little that we can do when an executive order has been issued. And to a certain extent that is true. But we can't forget why and how we got here. America asked for this president. The best response we can have for this is to not let it happen again. This election year is critical. We elect a new president as well as Senators and Congressmen. It is crucial that we be involved in the election process. Do the research, learn the facts, be up to date on current events. Our best defense against these kinds of executive orders is our vote.