Obama Moves to Sweep Medical Privacy Aside in the Name of Gun Control

President Obama warned that if Congress didn’t bend to his will on gun control, he would act without them. Support for his gun control proposals is waning in Congress, to the point that he has had to move the goalposts on the “assault” weapons ban. Now, the administration is merely demanding a vote on the ban, aware that it lacks the votes to pass.

The Hill reports that Obama is gearing up to move without Congress on background checks, by proposing a new rule regarding the FBI’s National Instant Background Check system.

According to the Hill:

The database is meant to keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug abusers, the severely mentally ill and others who are prohibited from owning firearms. But most states have declined to release certain information to the system, citing restrictions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that prevent them from sharing medical records.

While details of the rule now under consideration have not been released, the administration said in January that it would “begin the regulatory process to remove any needless barriers” preventing states from sharing records.

“Needless barriers” now evidently includes a bipartisan law passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton for the express purpose of maintaining the privacy of Americans’ medical records. “Needless barriers” now evidently includes state laws passed by state legislatures and signed into law by state governors.

So many needless barriers, when you’re not a dictator.

Support for stricter gun control is now below 50% according to a CBS poll released this week. That is not slowing Obama down. If anything, the slide in support is speeding him up.

According to activists pushing civil rights on another issue that’s currently before the Supreme Court, civil rights should not be subject to popularity contests. The right to bear arms is clearly a civil right, as it is enshrined in the Constitution’s Second Amendment. That amendment must be another of those needless barriers.