President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday aiming to increase the number of background checks to buy guns, promote more secure firearms storage and ensure U.S. law enforcement agencies are getting the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer.
The Democratic president was set to address his latest efforts to curb gun violence in a speech from Monterey Park, California. In January, a gunman stormed a dance hall in the community near Los Angeles and shot 20 people, killing 11, following a Lunar New Year celebration. HeB次元官网网址檚 also scheduled to meet with families of the victims and first responders from that day.
BidenB次元官网网址檚 rhetoric has only grown stronger around guns B次元官网网址� he routinely calls for banning so-called assault weapons in his speeches B次元官网网址� and Democrats didnB次元官网网址檛 push such a vocal gun-control platform even during the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. But Biden has been emboldened by the midterms after his regular talk of gun control didnB次元官网网址檛 result in massive losses, and heB次元官网网址檚 expected to continue to push for strong changes as he inches toward a 2024 run, his aides say.
Biden invited Brandon Tsay, the 26-year-old who wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from the gunman in Monterey Park, to his State of the Union address and praised the young manB次元官网网址檚 heroism.
B次元官网网址淗e saved lives. ItB次元官网网址檚 time we do the same as well,B次元官网网址� Biden said in his speech to Congress. B次元官网网址淏an assault weapons once and for all.B次元官网网址�
But the presidentB次元官网网址檚 power is limited to go beyond bipartisan legislation passed by Congress last summer, the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades. It followed the killings last year of 10 shoppers at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store and 19 students and two teachers at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school.
B次元官网网址淭oo many lives have been taken by gun violence,B次元官网网址� White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. B次元官网网址淏ut he believes we need to do more. YouB次元官网网址檒l hear him call on Congress to take action and not to stop B次元官网网址� that we need to continue.B次元官网网址�
TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 action does not change U.S. government policy. Rather, it directs federal agencies to ensure compliance with existing laws and procedures B次元官网网址� a typical feature of executive orders issued by presidents when they confront the limits of their own power to act without cooperation from Congress.
Biden, in the order, acknowledged CongressB次元官网网址� opposition, but said, B次元官网网址淚n the meantime, my Administration will continue to do all that we can, within existing authority, to make our communities safer.B次元官网网址�
The order directs the Cabinet to work on a plan to better structure the government to support communities suffering from gun violence. The plan calls on Attorney General Merrick Garland to shore up the rules for federally licensed gun dealers so they know they are required to do background checks as part of the license.
Biden is also mandating better reporting of ballistics data from federal law enforcement for a clearinghouse that allows federal, state and local law enforcement to match shell casings to guns. But local and state law enforcement agencies are not required to report ballistics data, and many do not, making the clearinghouse less effective.
And the president is asking the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report analyzing how gun manufacturers market to minors and use military images to market to the general public.
The bill passed last year, known as the Safer Communities Act, is viewed by gun control advocates as a good start but one that doesnB次元官网网址檛 go far enough. After the law was signed, there were 11 other mass shootings, according to a database of mass killings since 2006 maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. Those killings donB次元官网网址檛 include shootings in which fewer than four people were killed B次元官网网址� and gun violence is also rising nationwide.
B次元官网网址淧resident BidenB次元官网网址檚 executive order today is a home run for public safety,B次元官网网址� said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. B次元官网网址淭his is the latest example of President BidenB次元官网网址檚 leadership on gun safety, and weB次元官网网址檙e proud to stand with him as he takes robust action to help close the gun-seller loophole B次元官网网址� which will significantly expand background checks on gun sales, keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people and save lives.B次元官网网址�
Biden will also direct his Cabinet to make sure law enforcement agencies understand the benefits of the new law, particularly around red-flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders, which are intended to temporarily remove guns from people with potentially violent behavior and prevent them from hurting themselves or others.
Last month, the Justice Department sent out more than $200 million to help states and the District of Columbia administer red-flag laws and other crisis-intervention programs.
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By Zeke Miller And Colleen Long
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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