Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday that he is opposed to potential executive action by President Barack Obama on the issue of gun violence, calling such a move monarchical.
"I'm against having a king," Paul told CBN News. "I think having a monarch is what we fought the American Revolution over and someone who wants to bypass the Constitution, bypass Congress -- that's someone who wants to act like a king or a monarch."
Vice President Joe Biden, the leader of Obama's task force on gun violence, suggested last week that the president would be willing to take executive action to address the matter. At a press conference Monday, Obama confirmed Biden's comments, saying that executive action was "within [his] authority," while also pressing Congress to undertake its own legislative agenda.
The president hasn't clarified what sort of policy he'd seek, but the promise to act unilaterally has already sparked a frenzied concern among some conservatives who appear convinced that whatever Obama's administration is pursuing will somehow lead to the mass confiscation of guns.
Paul promised to stand up against whatever it is that Obama puts forth.
"I've been opposed to executive orders, even with Republican presidents. But one that wants to infringe on the Second Amendment, we will fight tooth and nail," Paul continued.
Other Senate Republicans have expressed their concerns over the administration's plan to take executive action. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a more moderate voice than Paul, said last week that she was "troubled" by the development.
Before You Go
