Here is my perosnal breakdown on Obama's list:
"The following is a list, provided by the White House, of executive actions President Obama plans to take to address gun violence.
1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
++++So send out a memo asking your federal agencies to share what they are already supposed to be sharing? This is leadership? Bottom line, yes, we want this to happen. But will a memo make it so? Why wasn’t this addressed before? Won’t stop gun violence. Just means a guy who knows he is on the list will need is brother, wife, girlfriend to buy the gun for him, or just steel a gun, or buy one off the street.
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.
++++Very vague. Patient’s rights and personal data and Patient-Doctor confidentiality should be protected. Maybe something can be done here to identify dangerous persons and ensure they are screened out on a background check, but it really won’t stop gun violence. Same as above.
3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
++++Again, this is so vague. What information exactly? What sort of incentives are we talking about? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
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.
++++Again, very vague and potentially dangerous overstepping of government. What sort of categories would he have the latitude to define? Members of certain websites? Tea Party members? NRA members? Any group that is a strong 2A advocate? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
++++First of all, why was the gun seized? If it was not seized for good\legal reason, it should be quickly returned. Any seizing of a law abiding citizens gun is a big deal. So sure, they should be able to do a check, but this should not give them the right to hold your gun indefinitely until they find time to fun the required check. If they can’t do it almost instantly, then they shouldn’t do it without probable cause. And again, won’t help with gun violence.
6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
++++Just like the memos above. No teeth. Will they be required to? How much can they charge? Are private sellers required to do this? What about gifts of guns? Can my grandpa give me his old hunting rifle without the gov’t being involved? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
++++So the gov’t wants to spend a bunch of tax money on what exactly (actually borrowed money from China I guess)? TV Commercials? Super Bowl spot? Anti-gun Propaganda? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
++++Very vague and no real action being proposed here. And again, won’t help with gun violence.
9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
++++ Another memo. Are they suggesting that guns used in crimes are not traced as part of criminal investigations today? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
++++Lost guns? Who reports lost guns? Is there really a report out there that lists lost guns? And this sounds like it isn’t even a list\database of actual guns\serial numbers, but an analysis report simply about lost and stolen guns. What analysis and information is in this report and what would law enforcement do with it? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
11. Nominate an ATF director.
++++Why isn’t there one now? Expansion of government? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
++++What will this look like? Send out a memo, video, or maybe a white paper on a standard formal procedure? So now all the criminals will know what to expect when they want to attack in just about any situation?
Depending on how this is handled, it could either be a waste of tax money or possibly help save lives in an emergency.
13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
++++Again, very vague. Are gun crimes not prosecuted strongly enough now? Why not? What enforcement efforts are going to prevent gun crimes? More cops on the streets in gang neighborhoods? Cops in schools?
14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
++++Look, another memo. How much money will be spent on this research? Is gun violence a disease? Are there specific goals and timelines here? Very vague. And again, won’t help with 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.
++++Sounds like another toothless memo. Challenge the private sector? What is that supposed to mean? And again, won’t help with gun violence.
16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
++++Doctors have no business asking about guns in the home. Are they reporting this data to the government? Is the government looking to compile a list of known (legal) gun owners who aren’t a threat?
17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
++++Will they still worry about confidentiality? Will they be legally required to report?
18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
++++Good to see they took the NRA’s recommendation seriously. Isn’t this really part of number 13? Double dipping to pad this ‘comprehensive action plan’?
19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
++++ Isn’t an “institution of higher education” another way of saying “school”? And isn’t this just double dipping again since this should be covered under number 12 above?
20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
++++Another memo. Why isn’t this already made clear? What exactly is the perceived gap here?
21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
++++Shouldn’t this be part of number 20? Again, double dipping. Sure, one covers Medicaid and the other private insurance, but still seems to be double dipping in an attempt to pad this report.
22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
++++Case in point from above. So are they saying that there is no commitment to finalize currently? This should really be baked into the above item(s), but padding is needed to make this list look as comprehensive as possible.
23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health."
++++National dialogue? What is that supposed to mean? More antigun propaganda? Are there any specific goals and time tables here? How much tax money will this entail? And again, this is padding for the report as it could easily fall under the “mental health improvement” bucket of those other related items above.
