Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that President Obama will “trample” the Second Amendment by taking executive action on gun control.
“Barack Obama has proved once again why he will go down as one of the most liberal and divisive presidents in the history of our nation,” he wrote in an op-ed for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
{mosads}“Obama’s declaration that he will impose his gun control agenda by executive order shows an utter disregard for the Second Amendment as well as the proper constitutional process for making laws in our nation,” the 2016 presidential hopeful continued.
“Liberals like Barack Obama and [Democratic presidential front-runner] Hillary Clinton seize on every opportunity to advance a gun-grabbing agenda,” he added.
“After the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in San Bernardino, [Calif.], Obama and Clinton called for sweeping gun control provisions that would trample on the Second Amendment.”
Bush vowed he would repeal Obama’s executive order on gun regulations “on day one” of his potential administration. He then argued that Clinton would tip the legal scales toward stricter firearms control should she win the White House this year.
“With the next president possibly having the opportunity to nominate as many as four justices to the Supreme Court, the stakes in the election couldn’t be higher for gun owners,” Bush wrote.
“Hillary Clinton will surely stack the federal judiciary with liberal judges who will chip away at the Second Amendment. We cannot give her that opportunity.”
Bush added that he would protect law-abiding gun owners while stamping out terrorism involving firearms.
“The Second Amendment is the original homeland security act,” the former Florida governor wrote.
“Rather than taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens as Obama and Clinton would like to do, we should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists who want to kill innocent Americans.”
Obama is announcing his unilateral action on gun control Tuesday in what will trigger a major election-year battle with Republicans.
The expected orders will expand the definition of licensed gun dealers to those who sell firearms at gun shows and online, closing loopholes on federal background checks.