Senate votes to repeal Obama’s check on gun purchases
The Senate voted in favor of repealing Obama’s check on gun purchases on Wednesday. This move has put Donald Trump in a difficult position—either accept the bill or reject it—because the bill will be move to White House for Presidential consent.
After the all-too-recent Newtown Sandy Hook shooting, people with certain mental illnesses were barred from purchasing firearms.
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The gun industry has welcomed the new legislative move—while calling on President Trump to sign the bill—in all corners of the country. According to NPR, the Senate repealed the rule by casting 57 to 43 votes. The rule was previously criticized by several politicians from different states.
Now, the roll back measures go to Trump—who is a close friend of the Nation Riffle Association and favored the pro-gun legislation during electoral campaigning—to decide the fate of the bill. It’s the first time that President Trump will make any decision on legislation related to gun control.
Trump vowed to repeal the Obama check during the Presidential campaign—as part of his political narrative—as a part of Obama’s legislative legacy. Trump’s decision will also determine the future relation between the gun rights lobby and the new administration.
Obama’s gun check rule has barred 75,000 people from buying firearms as it asks the Social Security department to report their data to the FBI. According to the rule, people who received disability benefits weren’t able to purchase guns. This rule was part of Obama’s campaign to pass legislative measures—despite Obama being frustrated by his inability to place checks on gun purchases—against the interests of the pro-gun groups. Obama was supported by liberal groups, while conservatives opposed the move vehemently.
Adam Lanza, a 20 year old man, suffering from Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder was held responsible for killing 20 innocent children and six adults in 2012. Obama’s administration was pressured—by various sections of civil society and media—into making the process of gun purchase complicated and complex.
Republican Senator, Chuck Grassley, the key proponent of the repeal move, said in interview, “Bill was unnecessary and unneeded stigmatization of mentally ill people and bar on their constitutional right to buy arms”. Obama said in an interview, “My inability to pass “meaningful” legislation on the guns control is a real frustration for me”.
American civil liberties groups had criticized the rule by terming it as stigmatization of mentally ill people. They called upon President Trump to sign the repeal bill as soon as possible to protect the constitutional rights of the mentally ill people. Democratic lawmakers opposed the repeal bill and called it “meaningless” legislation. They said, “We hope it would not escalate nation-wide violence because people with inability to manage their own financial affairs will be carrying guns in their hands”
The Senate repeal bill has received a mixed response across the country—a majority welcomed the initiative—but, President Trump will decide the future of the gun industry in the US by signing or rejecting the repeal bill.
