It doesn’t take an expert to compare the United States’ gun-related murder rate with any developed nation in the world — or, say, Israel, Australia, Poland and Hungary combined — and notice that the land of stars and stripes always comes out on top.

Almost daily, we must open our newspapers to the tellings of tragedies fitting for a horror movie: nine benevolent churchgoers in Charleston, four marines and a navy sailor in Chattanooga, 27 first-graders and the people who taught them in Newtown — the list goes on.

In this context, and amid the repeated Second Amendment cries of uncompromising conservatives, President Obama did what legislators should have done long ago — set in motion a new effort to, according to his executive order, “reduce gun violence and make our communities safer.”

Key provisions of the Jan. 4 executive order include honing licensure requirements and closing the loophole that allows unlicensed individuals to purchase guns through trusts and corporations. It also intends to revise the background check system and put $500 million toward providing care to individuals with serious mental illnesses.

The idea that these reasonable provisions represent an attack on the Constitution demonstrates a misguided line of thought. It demonstrates the uncompromising nature of a political system in which no amount of slaughter can justify lasting changes.

Obama’s gun control executive order in no way violates the Constitution. The “grant of power” in Article II has allowed every president from George Washington to Obama to issue these orders, according to CNBC. 

As demonstrated by this directive, executive orders allow practical action. These orders allow the President of the United States to go forward alone when unbending, stuck-in-the-past politicians disfigure the legislative process and allow for preventable tragedy.

While many liberals believe slowly phasing guns out of the picture is the right way to deal with gun violence, they are far from the truth. Limiting the Second Amendment rights of Americans will do more harm than good.

Barring access to firearms weakens America and infringes on Second Amendment rights. Banning or severely inhibiting access to items deemed unsafe for public use rarely works, as criminals always find ways to get what they want.

For example, during Prohibition organized crime rose as the mob brought in alcohol, corruption and violent crime according to PBS historian Michael Lerner.

According to the FBI the overall rate of homicide has stayed at an all-time low since the late 1960s, even with the increase of gun sales in the United States. The president’s order will only serve as a waste of resources as the issue slowly becomes less pressing when priorities shift.

The executive order also supports the increase in government spending to “fix” an already working background check system. Overhauling the system will only slow down law-abiding citizens, not criminals, from purchasing guns.

According to the National Rifle Association, gun safety in households has developed greatly, as the fatal gun accident rate has declined 94 percent since 1904. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 99 percent of all guns in the United States are never involved in a crime.

While gun violence still exists, most of the problems stem from gang violence and illegally acquired weapons in Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans, according to the FBI.

While executive orders often bring about necessary change in a gridlocked Congress, Obama’s recent executive order on gun control shows a clear violation of the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.