On Wednesday, January 16, 2012, President Obama issued an action plan to control gun violence in America, and, as expected, Conservatives and gun owners across the nation imploded in a wild eyed rage. Social media is packed with thousands of Tweets and Facebook posts calling for the President’s impeachment. Mr. Obama is accused of using 23 Executive Orders to undermine the Second Amendment and subvert the Constitution to suit his own freedom crushing ends.
While I am not a fan of the President, I am sorry to tell the Conservatives among us that they are way off base and they really need to get their facts straight if they want to mount a valid defense of the Second Amendment. Undecided citizens and independent thinkers are no more impressed with the hyperbole and exaggeration in the battle over gun ownership than they were by Mitt Romney’s constant flip flops and mis-statements during the 2012 campaign. There is no quicker way to push someone away from considering your point of view than to lie or misstate the facts.
The simple truth is that the President did not issue 23 Executive Orders. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even sign one today. Even the excitable left wing media joined the band wagon for 23 Executive Orders, possibly as an example of wishful thinking on their part. Bloomberg News , Huffington Post , Salon , and dozens of other liberal news services made the same claims and posted them as headlines or lead banners on their Twitter pages.
Conservatives and gun owners simply went nuts after the White House released the President’s official statement. Rush Limbaugh accused the President of trying to take revenge on Americans who disagree with Obama by bombarding them with morally offensive laws in order to drive them insane.
“I think he wants people to snap. I think Obama is challenging everybody’s sanity. Obama [is] literally pushing people to snap, attacking the very sanity of the country.”
In reality, the President made 23 recommendations for action on gun violence in America. He did issue three Presidential Memoranda that may or may not carry the same weight as an Executive Order, but none of the Memoranda contain an order to seize any guns or make any guns illegal.
These are the three Executive Memoranda issued by the President :
Direct federal law enforcement to trace all guns taken in federal custody in the course of a criminal investigation
Direct the Department of Justice to ensure that all applicable information from federal agencies is made available for background checks
Direct the Department of Health to “conduct or sponsor research into the causes of gun violence and the ways to prevent it.”
The rest of the proposals read more like governmental housekeeping instructions than a massive gun grab. The President left it up to the Congress to act on legislation to ban so-called Assault Weapons and high capacity magazines and showed respect for the Constitution. If anything, Mr. Obama seemed to be treading on tip toes to avoid any appearance of a Presidential power grab.
Despite all the emotions, all the fear mongering from the right, and loud mouthed demands from the Michael Moore’s on left , the Obama we saw today finally acted like a President who was doing his level best to bring the nation together. While Obama may change his tack in the days ahead, today I must say, “Bravo, Mr. President.”
Now, enough philosophy from me and on to the nitty gritty:
Here is the President’s Tweet from the White House that inspired the wrath of gun owners and Conservatives across the nation:
The White House
- ?
@ whitehouse
16 Jan 13
“Let’s do the right thing for them, and for this country we love so much.” —President Obama
We follow the Tweet from the White House with a selection of Tweets demanding the impeachment of the President :
Gina@RR_Conservative with rights come the ability to impeach a tyrannical president!@BarackObama you are on the short list for impeachment!
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
That Southern Guy@LostTexasGent
Impeach Obama and stop his attacks on the constitution. No one who disrespects our country’s sacred rights should ever hold this office
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
CAMI@CamillaTowe Call your Congressional Representatives NOW! IMPEACH this POWER HUNGRY DICTATOR!
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
mike rieger@mikerieger7 @BarackObama exploiting children is dispicable. Hitler, Mao, Stallin etc.. ur the 2nd coming of Hitler. We will impeach!
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Melissa Mckee@mistyblue20109
@whitehouse Time to Impeach the traitor who sits in the white house.
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Bobby Lallis@THELASTPATRI0T 23 executive orders?? Impeach this tyrant.
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Kris@UrbanWraith Impeach #Obama for trying to make this The Nazi States of America!!!
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Leonard Park@RIGHTZONE
IMPEACH THE ASS CLOWN BARACK OBAMA NOW! ALL YOU MINDLESS SOCIALIST DRONE CULT FOLLOWERS SHOULD LEAVE NOW!
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
derrick d robinson@lazzyrus1 @BarackObama I vote impeach Obama that is the rite thing to do
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Pattie Curran@PattieCurran @whitehouse yes, let’s do the right thing and impeach@BarackObama
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Christopher@ChrisBrad79 Obama just signed 23 executive orders undermining the Second Amendment. That’s 23 reasons to impeach, if you ask me.
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Mindy McSparin@MindyMcSparin More executive orders. Guess it’s the United States of Obama.#impeach
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
DeAnn Bradford@DeAnn_1 #IMPEACH the Muslim Tyrant! @BarackObama is an existential threat to our Nation and our Constitution.
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
daniel devente@budiesdad Impeach the dictator
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
J Owens@H2Owens_ Impeach him please?
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Brett Bannon@BrettABannon What part of “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution” does he not understand? #molonlabe #impeach @TedNugent
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Clete Schafrath@cleteschafrath I’m 100% for #impeach #obama let’s do the right thing and return our country to #honor
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Cody D. Persinger@CPersinger25 Well if obama doesnt have terrorist written on his forehead now, and you still support him, youre a new breed of stupid #obama#IMPEACH
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Corey Chilson@Corey82317140 If most of the american people agree with you, then why go behind our backs to pass laws. #NotTakingMyToys #Impeach
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
The Great One@TheGreatOne2012 23 executive actions on gun control. Impeach this fascist#PresidentObama #Guncontrol
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite
Melissa Mckee@mistyblue20109 @whitehouse Impeach the traitor.
16 Jan 13 Reply Retweet Favorite