At least 355 mass shootings have occurred in the United States in 2015. That’s more
than one every day, with the most recent claiming 14 lives in San Bernardino, California. After
every major shooting tragedy, the bulk of the conversation is focused on gun control,
with many blaming President Barack Obama for either doing too much, or not enough. So,
can Obama actually stop gun violence?
Well, debates on how to stop mass shootings tend to either call for the elimination of
guns, or the promotion of gun rights. In either case, the only method to change the current
legal situation is by passing, and enforcing new laws. However, the President’s scope
within the US government’s separation of powers severely limits his ability to singlehandedly
change the law.
Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution allows Obama to pass or block legislation, however
the job of crafting new laws is within the domain of Congress. Despite the President’s
speeches calling for gun control, he cannot actually implement new laws by himself. He
can, of course, attempt to influence Congress. But the past two terms have shown that the
President has very little power over Congressional opinion.
There IS the possibility of Obama passing an executive order to bypass Congress. Executive
orders are effectively laws which do not need Congressional approval. President Obama has
actually passed more than 200 already, although Ronald Reagan passed nearly 400, and FDR passed
3 and a half thousand. But executive orders are not infallible decrees, they are subject
to strict review by the third branch of government, the federal judiciary. Perhaps most importantly,
they must still follow the constitution. Obama HAS already passed twenty-three executive
ACTIONS in support of gun control. However these carry no legal weight, and are not treated
like laws in the same way executive ORDERS are.
Without the approval and support of the other two branches of government, the President’s
powers are actually very limited. While Obama has extraordinary influence over US law, he
is not a king or a dictator. But even though Obama doesn’t control Congress, US citizens
do! If you want to affect change in politics, and live in the US, then write a letter, send
an e-mail, or make a phone call to your Congressional Representative. And please don’t forget
vote!
Ideally, U.S. citizens would live in a country free of gun violence and mass shootings. For
now, the U.S. has more mass shootings than any other developed country. Why is this?
Learn more in our video at the top. While President Obama may not be able to stop gun
violence, he certainly has the freedom to do a lot in his last year. Learn more at the
bottom. Thanks for watching TestTube News! Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more
videos.