Ink from the president's signature barely had dried on his proposal to reduce gun violence in America before opposing sides were up in arms, lauding and debunking the president's plans.
President Obama received no support from local elected officials the Times Record News contacted Wednesday.
Rep. James Frank, one of the area's two freshmen in the 83rd Texas Legislature, said people need to ask two fundamental questions when it comes to the White House's push for gun control: 1) Do you agree with it? And 2) Does the president have the authority to do it?
"You have a constitutional right to bear arms," he said. "(But) really, does the president have the authority to override the Constitution with his word? I don't believe the president has the authority."
Frank said the majority of mass shootings in recent memories, such as the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., happened in gun-free zones by unlawful people, not law-abiding citizens. He also cited the recent shooting of firefighters on the East Coast by a man who bludgeoned his grandmother to death.
He said it's not those who obey the law who are the problem, but the criminal element.
"It seems to me when criminals do bad things, (the government) takes rights away from law abiding citizens," he said. "That's what's happening now. We need to spend time on (preventing) the criminal" from getting firearms.
Wichita County Sheriff David Duke shared the same sentiment. He used the analogies of barbed wire and door locks, which are meant to keep honest people out. But a criminal will jump the fence or bust through the door to get what they want.
Duke also sided with an Oregon sheriff who sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden, informing the vice president that he would not enforce any federal gun laws that he felt were unconstitutional. Duke said he would not enforce a federal law that required him to seize an honest citizen's weapons or ammunition.
"Just because I'm sheriff doesn't mean I'm going to go out and violate someone else's rights," he said. "However, if someone is a convicted felon, they cannot have firearms, and we will arrest them."
Rep. Drew Springer, the area's other new legislator from Muenster, said in a prepared statement that the White House is attempting to use "a horrendous tragedy for political gain." He said taking firearms away from honest people doesn't solve the problem, rather it makes them more vulnerable to criminals because they've lost a means to protect themselves, their families and their property.
He added that he will defend each Texan's Second Amendment rights and join fellow Texas Rep. Steve Toth in legislation, if needed, to protect those rights.
"The Wyoming bill and similar legislation proposed by Rep. Toth and others is a step in the right direction towards accomplishing this," he said in the statement. "I fully intend to joint-author Rep. Toth's legislation and support it with my vote and my voice as it goes through committees and is heard on the House floor."
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, condemned the president's actions Wednesday, adding that no current gun control law on the books or any executive order would have prevented the Sandy Hook tragedy. He said he believes the correct action to take at this point is to take a closer look at mental illness and what caused the Newtown shooting and many others.
Laws, he said, do not keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
"The shooter in Connecticut, a state with some of the most stringent gun control laws in the nation, killed his mother and took her legally obtained weapons," the congressman said. "He illegally carried the guns into a gun-free zone."
Thornberry added, citing the U.S. Department of Justice, that "93 percent of guns used by criminals are stolen, bought on the black market or obtained in other illegal ways."
President Obama received no support from local elected officials the Times Record News contacted Wednesday.
Rep. James Frank, one of the area's two freshmen in the 83rd Texas Legislature, said people need to ask two fundamental questions when it comes to the White House's push for gun control: 1) Do you agree with it? And 2) Does the president have the authority to do it?
"You have a constitutional right to bear arms," he said. "(But) really, does the president have the authority to override the Constitution with his word? I don't believe the president has the authority."
Frank said the majority of mass shootings in recent memories, such as the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., happened in gun-free zones by unlawful people, not law-abiding citizens. He also cited the recent shooting of firefighters on the East Coast by a man who bludgeoned his grandmother to death.
He said it's not those who obey the law who are the problem, but the criminal element.
"It seems to me when criminals do bad things, (the government) takes rights away from law abiding citizens," he said. "That's what's happening now. We need to spend time on (preventing) the criminal" from getting firearms.
Wichita County Sheriff David Duke shared the same sentiment. He used the analogies of barbed wire and door locks, which are meant to keep honest people out. But a criminal will jump the fence or bust through the door to get what they want.
Duke also sided with an Oregon sheriff who sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden, informing the vice president that he would not enforce any federal gun laws that he felt were unconstitutional. Duke said he would not enforce a federal law that required him to seize an honest citizen's weapons or ammunition.
"Just because I'm sheriff doesn't mean I'm going to go out and violate someone else's rights," he said. "However, if someone is a convicted felon, they cannot have firearms, and we will arrest them."
Rep. Drew Springer, the area's other new legislator from Muenster, said in a prepared statement that the White House is attempting to use "a horrendous tragedy for political gain." He said taking firearms away from honest people doesn't solve the problem, rather it makes them more vulnerable to criminals because they've lost a means to protect themselves, their families and their property.
He added that he will defend each Texan's Second Amendment rights and join fellow Texas Rep. Steve Toth in legislation, if needed, to protect those rights.
"The Wyoming bill and similar legislation proposed by Rep. Toth and others is a step in the right direction towards accomplishing this," he said in the statement. "I fully intend to joint-author Rep. Toth's legislation and support it with my vote and my voice as it goes through committees and is heard on the House floor."
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, condemned the president's actions Wednesday, adding that no current gun control law on the books or any executive order would have prevented the Sandy Hook tragedy. He said he believes the correct action to take at this point is to take a closer look at mental illness and what caused the Newtown shooting and many others.
Laws, he said, do not keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
"The shooter in Connecticut, a state with some of the most stringent gun control laws in the nation, killed his mother and took her legally obtained weapons," the congressman said. "He illegally carried the guns into a gun-free zone."
Thornberry added, citing the U.S. Department of Justice, that "93 percent of guns used by criminals are stolen, bought on the black market or obtained in other illegal ways."
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