Others, Including Speaker Ryan, Say Legal Challenge Is Likely
By Chuck Quirmbach
Rep. Mandela Barnes, shown above speaking at a 2013 labor rally. SEIU Local 1 (CC-BY)
President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence has received a thumbs-up from a Wisconsin lawmaker whose district is often plagued by gunfire.
Rep. Mandela Barnes of Milwaukee said Tuesday that he’s especially in favor of the president’s plan to require background checks for all gun sales.
“Just yesterday, you saw that the Department of Transportation released new rules for motor vehicle sales where that has to be documented on a new online database,” said Barnes. “If we’re going to regulate vehicles in this way, there’s no reason the entire United States cannot regulate the selling of firearms.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan said the president’s executive order will be challenged in the courts. The Janesville Republican said the president’s “words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”
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