On Wednesday, President Obama announced nearly two dozen executive actions as well as proposed legislation designed to curtail Second Amendment rights. Kansas First District Congressman Tim Huelskamp issued the following statement about the Administration's decrees:
"The Second Amendment is non-negotiable. The right to bear arms is a right, despite President Obama's disdain for the Second Amendment and the Constitution's limits on his power. Congress must stand firm for the entirety of the Constitution -- even if, but particularly so, when President Obama seeks to ignore his obligation to 'preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.' Taking away the rights and abilities of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves is yet another display of the Obama Administration's consolidation of power."
"Washington and all of America must have a serious debate and honest discussion about what fuels a very small segment of the population to inflict harm and instill fear. This means holding Hollywood accountable for its culture of violence and death, and talking about mental health issues and the responsibilities of families and communities. Furthermore, Americans demand the Obama Administration enforce current laws. The latest information, according to Syracuse University, shows that federal weapons prosecutions are down dramatically -- meaning that the Obama Administration is neglecting its obligation to enforce current law. Apparently public safety matters only when there's political gain to be had. How can we expect them to act on new laws if they cannot even enforce the ones that currently exist?"
According to information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, federal weapons prosecutions reached an all-time decade low in January 2011. In that month, only 484 new weapons prosecutions were reported. The previous all-time low was 445, which was recorded the month that George W. Bush began his first term as President (January 2001). Notably, Chicago, where a gun ban exists and where there have been high homicide rates, ranks low on the list for federal prosecutions.