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UP FRONTMonday 4 January 2016
Vacation over, Obama ‘fired up’ for final year in office
KEVIN FREKING President Barack Obama hits a shot on the 18th hole during a round of golf at Mid-Pacific Country background check legisla-
Associated Press Club during his family vacation in Kailua, Hawaii. Now back at the White House, President Barack tion stalled three years ago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Back Obama says he is energized for his final year in office and ready to tackle unfinished business, “Each time, we’re told that
at the White House after turning immediate attention to the issue of gun violence. commonsense reforms like
a two-week Hawaiian va- background checks might
cation, President Barack (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) not have stopped the last
Obama says he is ener- massacre, or the one be-
gized for his final year in address. become law, but it is pop- to do.” fore that, so we shouldn’t
office and ready to tackle While in Hawaii, he also ular with the Republican Republican candidates do anything,” Obama said.
unfinished business, turning worked on his final State of base in an election year. largely oppose efforts “We know that we can’t
immediate attention to the the Union address, sched- The debate about what to expand background stop every act of violence.
issue of gun violence. uled for Jan. 12. The prime- Obama may do on gun vi- checks or take other steps But what if we tried to stop
Obama scheduled a meet- time speech to Congress olence already has spilled that curb access to guns. even one?”
ing Monday with Attorney will give the president an- over into the presidential “This president wants to Federally licensed gun sell-
General Loretta Lynch other chance to try to re- campaign. act as if he is a king, as if ers are required by law to
to discuss a three-month assure the public about his Democratic front-runner he is a dictator,” unable seek criminal background
review of what steps he national security steward- Hillary Clinton has called to persuade Congress and checks before completing
could take to help reduce ship after the attacks in for more aggressive execu- forcing an “illegal execu- a sale. But gun control ad-
gun violence. Paris and San Bernardino, tive actions on guns, and tive action” on the coun- vocacy groups say some of
The president is expected California. rival Bernie Sanders said he try, New Jersey Gov. Chris the people who sell firearms
to use executive action to Congressional Republicans would support Obama’s Christie told “Fox News Sun- at gun shows are not feder-
strengthen background have outlined a compet- expected move. day.” ally licensed, increasing the
checks required for gun ing agenda for January, The Vermont senator told Former Florida Gov. Jeb chance of sales to custom-
purchases. saying they will spend the ABC’s “This Week” that he Bush, also on Fox, said ers prohibited by law from
Republicans strongly op- first days of 2016 taking an- believes “there is a wide Obama’s “first impulse is purchasing guns.
pose any moves Obama other crack at eliminating consensus” that “we should always to take rights away Obama plans to partici-
may make, and legal fights keys parts of the president’s expand and strengthen from law-abiding citizens, pate in a town hall Thurs-
seem likely over what critics health insurance law and the instant background and it’s wrong.” day night at George Ma-
would view as infringing on ending federal funding for check.” He added: “I think In the radio address, son University in Virginia on
their constitutional rights to women’s health care pro- that’s what the president Obama said tens of thou- reducing gun violence. The
bear arms. vider Planned Parenthood. is trying to do and I think sands of people have died president will take ques-
But Obama is committed The legislation is unlikely to that will be the right thing from gun violence since tions from the audience at
to an aggressive agenda in the event moderated by
2016 even as public atten- CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
tion shifts to the presidential Despite his deep differ-
election. ences with Republicans,
Obama spent much of his Obama has cited two
winter vacation out of the agenda items for 2016 that
public eye, playing golf have bipartisan support: a
with friends and dining out free trade agreement with
on the Hawaiian island of 11 other nations called the
Oahu with his family. He re- Trans-PacificPartnership
turned to the White House and changes in the criminal
about noon Sunday. justice system that would
“I am fired up for the year reduce incarceration rates
that stretches out before for nonviolent offenders.
us. That’s because of what
we’ve accomplished to- He often points out that
gether over the past sev- the U.S. accounts for 5 per-
en,” Obama said in his cent of the world’s popula-
weekly radio and Internet tion and 25 percent of its
inmates.q
