U.S. Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, issued a response to President Barack Obama’s proposed package of anti-gun violence legislation.

McKeon said he is open to all ideas to help curb the ongoing violence epidemic in the nation. “Throughout the congressman’s tenure he has been, and will continue to be, a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment,” said McKeon’s Communications Director, Alissa McCurley,  adding that the congressman plans to review all of the president’s recommendations thoroughly.

President Obama unveiled the sweeping set of anti-violence proposals on Wednesday and signed 23 executive action orders recommended by Vice President Joe Biden’s Anti-Gun Violence Task Force. The plan focuses on four areas: closing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, providing schools with safety resources including armed protection, and improving access to mental health services.

In his statement, McKeon said he is committed to finding “the root causes of gun violence” as well as finding responsible, common sense solutions without curtailing any second amendment rights.

“Additionally, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, of which Congressman McKeon is a senior member, has announced that in the coming weeks the Committee will be holding hearings to examine school safety,” said McCurley. “The congressman is hopeful that everyone can come together to explore and implement policies that will actually will actually help prevent violence in our schools.”

“In wake of this horrific event (at Sandy Hook Elementary School), as well as the recent tragedies in Aurora, Virginia Tech and Tucson, Americans are ready and willing to engage in a meaningful national conversation to determine what we can do to make our country safer,” McKeon’s statement continued. “We must be careful, however, not to penalize responsible, law-abiding citizens or infringe upon the rights guaranteed in our Constitution.”

The full list of executive actions signed into law by the president Wednesday includes:

* Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

* 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.

* Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

* 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.

* Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

* Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

* Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

* Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

* Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

* Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

* Nominate an ATF director.

* Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.

* Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.

* Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

* 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

* Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

* Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

* Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.

* Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

* Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

* Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

* Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.

* Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.