Opponents of the Obama administration’s approach to gun control may try to impeach the president if he chooses to take executive action on the issue. One Republican congressman has already threatened to seek impeachment in response to a press conference yesterday, during which the president hinted at implementing executive orders that could bypass congressional control.
“The White House’s recent announcement they will use executive orders and executive actions to infringe on our constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms is an unconstitutional and unconscionable attack on the very founding principles of this republic,” Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, wrote in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment,” he added.
On Tuesday Vice President Joe Biden will release a number of proposals aimed at reducing gun violence. The New York Times reports that the administration’s plan could include as many as 19 executive actions the president can take to impact gun control.
“I’m confident that there are some steps that we can take that don’t require legislation and that are within my authority as president,” Obama said during the Monday press conference. He added that proposed actions could affect “how we are gathering data, for example, on guns that fall into the hands of criminals, and how we track that more effectively.”
Though GOP members have painted any executive action as an abuse of power, none of the president’s proposals have been officially announced. Supporters of the administration’s initiative believe that the executive orders could clear some of the smaller issues surrounding the gun control debate, allowing Washington to tackle the larger problems as a collective.
