WASHINGTON—Just over one month after the tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., efforts to reform existing gun laws have forged ahead.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced proposals for sweeping gun law reform. Some of the proposals will require congressional approval, but many were signed into action that same day.
“We can’t put this off any longer,” the president said in announcing the reforms at the White House.
Children who had written letters of support, along with Chris and Lynn McDonnell, from Newtown, were included in a ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. The McDonnell’s daughter, Grace, was among the 20 first-graders and six adult staff killed by a lone gunman at the Sandy Hook School on Dec. 14.
Obama said that he would sign a directive that would give law enforcement agencies, schools, mental health professionals, and public health officials the tools to help reduce gun violence.
Specific actions include strengthening existing systems for background checks, removing the ban on federal research into gun violence, providing more resource offices for schools, and improving access to mental health services.
In addition to the 23 executive actions proposed, Obama called on Congress to pass specific initiatives “right away.”
“As important as these steps are, they are in no way a substitute for action from members of Congress,” said the president.
