I have taken a bit of time looking over the 23 executive orders issued by President Obama regarding guns. Every one of them fits into the following schema somewhere: Sharing information. Reviewing, clarifying, and/or beefing up enforcement of existing rules. Public relations. Improved accountability. Filling the ATF-chief post. Training. Research. And, finally, conversation and a commitment to the issue of mental health.
All of these actions are within the full scope and power of the Presidency, most of them by directing federal agencies to take this action or that. He is not usurping power. He is not bypassing Congress. And there is nothing among these orders that is remotely unreasonable.
Mr. Obama also hopes to take three actions in Congress, only one of which—strengthening background checks—has a snowball’s chance in Cuba of being passed. The assault weapons ban and the bid to limit magazines will die hard among those little desks.
And yet…
Like Ted Nugent, many Americans base their political opinions on garbage. Rather than first bothering to actually understand the machinations of public policy, they sop up a bunch of shitty gravy from dubious sources of information and go charging out of the building lit up like fireworks. And it’s too bad because it means that we simply do not get to talk about this.
And we kind of need to do that. What a shame.
In other news: You ate my fractal.
Also:
And then there’s…