Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) is a proud gun owner who has introduced legislation to protect American gun owners’ rights. For instance, Townhall has written about her FIREARM Act, which would expose the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unnecessary requirement demanding gun owners report their race and ethnicity when purchasing a gun, as well as the Nondiscriminatory Transportation Screening Act, which would permit fliers to use their gun licenses as proper forms of identification.
As you can imagine, this pro-Second Amendment congresswoman had no patience for President Obama’s gun control speech today from the East Room of the White House. In a statement, she defined his remarks as childish:
“President Obama’s contempt for the 2nd Amendment – and the Constitutional separation of powers – is well documented but that does not entitle him to this childish temper tantrum. This is nothing more than a cheap stunt by a lawless President looking to seal a political legacy in the last months of his failing Administration. What’s more, the President’s actions lack any basis in fact, as even the Washington Post was forced to admit that not a single recent act of mass violence could be prevented by new gun laws. Congress cannot let this backdoor power grab go unchallenged. We must use every tool at our disposal, including the power of the purse and, if necessary, the pursuit of legal action, to put a check on this unconstitutional overreach,” she said.
Black is joined by several colleagues in her biting criticism of the president’s gun control agenda. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said the president’s actions are “out of bounds” and “exceed his executive authority.” Likewise, House Speaker Paul Ryan did not mince words about Obama’s intimidating strategy to demonize gun owners.
"From day one, the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding. He knows full well that the law already says that people who make their living selling firearms must be licensed, regardless of venue. Still, rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”