President Barack Obama announces gun-control measures Jan. 5, 2016. Tucsonan Daniel Hernandez, right rear, was among several from Southern Arizona at the White House for the announcement.Listen:
Tucson victims of the Jan. 8, 2011 mass shooting praised President Barack Obama's Tuesday announcement that he will expand gun purchase background checks.
Others in Arizona were critical, saying Obama usurped Congress' authority and could make it difficult for some to exercise their right to gun ownership.
Several victims of the Tucson shooting, in which six people died and 13 were wounded, including then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, were at the White House for Obama's announcement Tuesday morning. Giffords sat in the front row, and Obama acknowledged her and the shooting as he began his remarks.
The president said he was issuing an executive action expanding background checks for people wanting to make purchases at gun shows and from gun hobbyists and collectors, including online purchases. Other parts of the executive action include:
- The FBI will expedite the background check system and hire more people to process requests.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will receive more funding for agents and investigators.
- $500 million in new funding for mental health care.
- Renewed domestic violence outreach efforts.
In a telephone news conference Tuesday afternoon, Giffords' husband Mark Kelly praised Obama.
"These actions that the president has announced today will not have any effect on responsible gun owners like myself and Gabby," Kelly said. "You know they are common sense changes, and they will keep guns out of the wrong hands by narrowing these loopholes and by reinforcing some of the existing law."
Kelly was speaking as co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun-control lobbying group that he and Giffords created during her recovery from being shot through the head.
Gun Owners of Arizona President Ken Rineer of Tucson said the executive actions did not change much.
"There was always an exception written into the law for private individuals to sell their firearms from their collection or because they don’t need it any more or whatever the reason may be," Rineer said. "The law has always said if you are conducting a business then you must apply for and obtain a federal firearms license. And all he did in this proposal today is clarify that that law exists."
Rineer called one part of the president's actions "dangerous" and said he worried that the mental health care provisions might limit gun ownership by disabled veterans.
Republicans in Arizona also criticized Obama, with U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon saying in a statement, "Beyond the president’s condescending tone, Americans are no closer to security with these changes (were they legal) than without them."
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., issued a statement praising Obama's actions and calling those in Congress who have opposed gun controls "pawns for an industry that breeds violence."
Mary Reed, who survived three bullet wounds in the Jan. 8 shooting, said she was "thrilled" at the president's Tuesday announcement.
"If you are a prohibited purchaser, I don't ever want you to be able to buy a gun," Reed said, referring to tighter background checks that would stop convicted felons and others prohibited from owning guns.
Nancy Bowman, a Tucson nurse who was at the shooting scene five years ago and helped treat victims, said she wants comprehensive changes in gun control laws, but said she doesn't think it will occur.
"I have come to the conclusion that we can only make baby steps," Bowman said. "This country is not willing or ready for major steps."
Among those in Washington for the announcement were Giffords; Kelly; former Giffords aide Pam Simon, who was wounded; Tucsonan Patricia Maisch, who helped subdue the gunman at the Jan. 8 shooting; John and Roxana Green, parents of 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, who was killed that day; and Daniel Hernandez, a former Giffords intern who provided first aid to her and has been credited with helping save her life.
Giffords, Kelly, Simon, Maisch and other victims of the shooting have worked since the incident five years ago Friday to change state and federal laws to tighten gun purchase requirements and to expand mental health services, including early identification methods. They have had minimal success in state legislatures and have made no progress in Congress.
The man who carried out the Tucson shooting was judged mentally incompetent. He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to a federal prison mental health facility after pleading guilty in the case.
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