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Obama Huddles With Bloomberg Ahead of Gun Order
Thursday, December 17, 2015 11:04 PM
By: Greg Richter
President Barack Obama met with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday to discuss gun control as the president prepares an executive action to restrict gun access, CNN reports.
"The two discussed ways to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them and what more could be done at the state and local level to help address gun violence in America," according to a White House statement.
Bloomberg, founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which has since been renamed Everytown for Gun Safety, is the latest in a string of gun control advocates to meet with Obama.
On December 4, Obama met with former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a life-threatening gunshot would during a public appearance in 2011, and her husband Mark Kelly.
White House officials are poring over gun laws, looking for ways Obama can make changes without congressional approval. With Republicans holding both houses, the White House isn't expecting any changes by means of new legislation.
One of Obama's considerations is closing the so-called "gun show loophole," which allows people who are considered only occasional sellers not to run background checks on the people to whom they are selling.
Republicans say the president doesn't have the power to make that move with an executive action.
A further hurdle for Obama and Bloomberg is the fact that more Americans now oppose a ban on military-style weapons in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that only 45 percent now favor such a ban, while more people actually think people should be encouraged to carry weapons as a response to terrorism.
