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U.S. Sen. Rand Paul Vows to Scrutinize President's Executive Actions on Guns

US Senate Photographic Studio-Fr
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said he'll examine President Obama's just-announced executive orders to see if the president has overstepped his authority — and, if he believes so, will introduce legislation to overturn the orders. “Executive orders can be overturned and cannot run afoul of legislation that is the current law, if he tries to create legislation, I will oppose him,” Paul said on Wednesday.Obama on Wednesdayannounced 23 executive actionsaimed at reducing gun violence, plus a push for new legislation.Paul made his comments as the president was unveiling his plans, prefacing them by saying he wasn’t sure of all the details.Paul said he believes if he has to submit legislation to overturn the president, he would win the support of Republicans and Democrats.“And I think I’ll have a good chance legislatively, and we will introduce that very rapidly, we are working on legislation now,” he said.Paul says he does have concern about violence in schools, but wants lawmakers to take up the issue. Here are the executive orders, from the White House:

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system. 2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system. 3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system. 4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks. 5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun. 6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers. 7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign. 8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).  9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.  10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.  11. Nominate an ATF director. 12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.  13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime. 14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence. 15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.  16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. 17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities. 18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers. 19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education. 20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover. 21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges. 22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations. 23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.