Gun control gets treated as a Second Amendment issue, but it’s also about dollars and cents. Armed guards at schools? The proposal initially floated by the National Rifle Association would involve some serious costs borne by taxpayers.Banning weapons outright would impose costs on manufacturers and retailers, possibly causing job losses.
The package of measures announced on Wednesday by President Obama would cost $500 million, according to the Associated Press. Those expenses come in part from putting 1,000 police officers in schools and training health care workers to better address any psychological problems experienced by young people.
Of course, there is also the mandatory background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Obama can act on his own by signing 23 executive orders, but the big ticket items must survive a skeptical Congress. The controversial proposal faces an uphill battle on Capitol Hill, where the package’s chief opponent, the National Rifle Association, wields powerful influence with the Republican House majority. And while it’s easy to calculate the cost of what Obama has proposed, it’s much, much harder to forecast the price tag of the status quo. -
Read more at The Associated Press
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