HOUSTON – A congressman from the Houston area said he would do anything in his power to prevent President Barack Obama from pushing gun control measures into practice without congressional approval.
U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman was elected in November to represent District 36, a new district that covers southeast Harris County east to the Texas-Louisiana line.
At a news conference Monday, President Obama said he will consider both legislation and executive action to implement gun control.
"I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment," Stockman said. "Any proposal to abuse executive power and infringe upon gun rights must be repelled with the stiffest legislative force possible."
"I would agree with him 100 percent," said Rod Byrd, a Huntsville resident. "America was founded with guns and we need to keep the guns where they need to be."
"I think our Congress needs to stand up for what we were founded on," Cheryl Byrd said.
"I think it's shocking we're having this discussion. The pushback against the president in my opinion is ridiculous," resident Bill Eley said.
The president revealed that one of the items that could be implemented as an executive order is a new database to track information on the weapons criminals use. That database could include information like the make, ammunition, and where a particular type of weapon is purchased.
The president is reviewing proposals from Vice President Joe Biden's task force on stemming gun violence. In the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 children and six adults were killed, the focus is on assault weapons.
"If there is a step we can take that will save even one child from what happened in Newtown, we should take that step," President Obama said.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants a ban on assault weapons and high capacity clips. He said more than a million people have signed a petition backed by his group, Mayors Against Illegal guns.
"These guns and equipment are not designed for sport or home defense. They are designed to kill large numbers of people quickly," Bloomberg said.
Passing legislation may not be easy. The National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups have vowed to fight any new gun restrictions, including a ban on assault weapons.
The president has said Congress will be a part of any measure that will directly impact laws and the right of law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights.
Stockman called himself "the most conservative congressman in Texas." He also claimed to have a 100 rating from the National Rifle Association.
A Gallop Poll released Monday shows 38 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with current gun laws and support stricter proposals, which is a 13 percent jump from a year ago.
The debate over gun control continues to be a hot topic in America. Take a look at which states have the strictest and weakest gun laws, according to ratings from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.