What one issue should the nation address in the next four years? Yahoo News asked Americans to pinpoint something that affects them or their communities -- alongside a photo that visualizes that issue.
COMMENTARY | The year 2013 began with a disproportionate focus by President Obama on one of the most divisive issues in the public sphere: the debate over gun control.
Obama has promised "meaningful" legislation in hopes of putting a band-aid on the feelings of horrified citizens after the Newtown and Aurora massacres.
On Jan. 16, Obama announced no less than 23 executive orders on the gun issue, and he upheld his intention to reinstate the ban on "assault style weapons" that expired in 2004.
A look at the FBI statistics on firearm homicides shows that the yearly numbers have fallen steadily for at least the last five years, and overall murder rates have been declining for decades. While the recent massacres are horrific crimes, their importance in the problem of overall gun crime is over-emphasized due to their shocking nature. I applaud his initiatives to foster new CDC studies of gun crime, but the liberal use of executive order indicates that he is acting in haste. This complex and sensitive issue should be approached in a more informed and thoughtful way, lest we give away our rights in the scramble to feel safe.