Pres. Obama to talk guns with police chiefs, sheriffs
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WITI) -- President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with police chiefs and sheriffs from major cities about gun violence on Monday, January 28th. Among them was Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards.
After weeks of meetings with various stakeholders in the gun control debate, Obama and Biden announced multiple legislative proposals aimed at curbing gun violence and 23 executive actions on guns and related mental health issues the president can take without congressional approval.
The legislative proposals include an assault weapons ban, a limit of 10 rounds per magazine and universal background checks that include anyone buying a gun, whether at a store or in a private sale at an auction or gun show.
"I welcome this opportunity to work with them, to hear their views in terms of what would make the biggest difference to prevent something like Newtown or Oak Creek from happening again," Edwards said.
Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi recently provided input in D.C. He says the gun control issue is a tough debate that has caused him to focus on his own initiatives.
"Clearly I think there is something we can do for registration knowing who is buying guns. The biggest thing for me, and it ties into mental health, is making sure the people who shouldn`t have guns, don`t have them. We need better record keeping for those individuals. The last thing, know how to use a gun correctly," Scaffidi said.
President Obama says it's not just about the recent high-profile mass shootings, but the concern extends to day-to-day violence.
President Obama's proposals have already received some opposition, but President Obama says he is hoping Monday's meeting will give him the support he needs.
"Hopefully, if law enforcement officials who are dealing with this stuff every single day can come to some basic consensus in terms of steps we need to take, Congress is going to be paying attention to them and we'll be able to make progress," President Obama said.