Sen. Rand Paul to Propose Bill to 'Nullify' Obama's Executive Orders on Gun Control

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has announced he will propose a bill to “nullify” any of President Obama’s executive orders on gun control that give the appearance that the president is writing new legislation.

Paul released his plan, called the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act 2013, on Wednesday. The document, which he plans to introduce early next week, has several purposes.

The bill intends to condemn the use of executive orders which undermine the powers reserved for Congress under the Constitution. It specifically mentions Article I of the Constitution which states, “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.”

Paul’s proposed legislation also declares “null and void” any executive order that “infringes on the powers and duties of the Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution and the Second Amendment.”

The bill also intends to prohibit funding for an “Executive Order Restricting [the] 2^nd Amendment.”

Finally, the proposal “provides an avenue for Members of Congress, Official Officers of the States and aggrieved private persons to challenge the Executive Orders in Court.”

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, Paul said, “I’m afraid that President Obama may have this king complex sort of developing, and we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Paul said that President Obama has “a history of arrogance” trying to legislate from the Oval Office.

However, Paul criticized the use of executive orders in general.

“It’s been a long battle that we’ve been losing gradually and even Republican presidents have also usurped their executive privilege to exert more authority than the Constitution gave them,” he said. “But, you know, our founders looked to Montesquieu, and Montesquieu wrote that there can be no liberty when you combine the executive and legislative powers.”

On his Facebook page, Sen. Paul wrote, “In the United States, we do not have a king. But we do have a Constitution. We also have a 2^nd Amendment. I will fight tooth and nail to protect it.”