Obama's dilemma on US gun control
- By Liu Qiang
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 7, 2016
Democrats were quick to praise President Obama's executive actions. While he was still speaking at the White House, Hillary Clinton sent a personal tweet voicing her support. However, Republicans blasted the emotional announcement and staunchly opposed efforts to change the nation's gun laws.
To carry out these executive actions requires manpower and money. Currently, the Republicans control both the House and the Senate.
The Republicans have vowed to file a lawsuit. House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement that "No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment. His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts."
In the U.S., it isn't rare to see the federal government lose a lawsuit. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court made a 6-3 decision, allowing the New York Times and Washington Post newspapers to publish the then-classified Pentagon Papers without risk of government censorship or punishment.
Nowadays, the conservatives hold the majority in the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices John G. Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Anthony Alito are all head-strong supporters for gun ownership. If there is a lawsuit for gun control actions in the future, there will probably be another difficult 5-4 decision.
Also, changes are inevitable if the Republicans win the election. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has promised that he would reverse President Obama's executive action on gun rights on his first day in the White House.
CNN reported that "there is a sharp partisan divide on the question, with 74 percent of Democrats in favor of stricter laws, while just 23 percent of Republicans feel the same way."
Obama conceded Tuesday that "it won't happen overnight, it won't happen during this Congress, it won't happen during my presidency."
While gun violence is beleaguering the American public, the culture gene of free rights to keep and bear arms is fighting against the government's perceived "overreach," and partisan divergence will make gun control in the U.S. more difficult.
Liu Qiang is our staff reporter currently studying in the U.S.
The article was first published in Chinese and translated by Lin Liyao.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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