The president said last week during a trip to Buffalo, New York, after a mass shooting at a grocery store there, he “can’t do much about the executive’s actions” to further strengthen gun control measures. He said he should instead “persuade Congress” to pass legislation such as the 1994 attack ban.
“Will there be more enforcement and will we do more? We will look into this. We are always striving to do more,” White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday. “But right now we need the help of Congress. We need them to intervene.”
Weapons violence prevention organizations such as Everytown for Gun Safety and Brady praised the president’s numerous actions taken with regard to weapons since taking office, including limiting the use of so-called ghost pistols and stepping up intervention programs against community violence.
But there are a few more actions they say they would like to see the president take:
Clarification from the Ministry of Justice
Federal law requires anyone involved in the firearms business to obtain a federal firearms license and to conduct inspections of potential firearms buyers. One of Biden’s options is to direct the Justice Department to clarify that those who “do business” include people who sell weapons at gun shows or online markets to close doors.
“Just as we do not have one airport line for people who want to be checked and another for those who would prefer to miss it, we cannot allow people who sell many weapons for profit to continue selling weapons to completely unfamiliar without asking questions, “John Feinblatt, president of Everytown on gun safety, told CNN.
New White House office and weapons coordinator
Several groups, including the Brady Arms Violence Prevention Organization, have called for the establishment of a White House Violence Prevention Service and the appointment of a coordinator in the Department of Justice to oversee the administration’s efforts to curb gun violence. .
“So many of the administration’s executive actions and directives require the Department of Justice to focus on the impact of gun violence in America. There needs to be a coordinator in the DOJ who focuses solely on working to end gun violence, “Brady’s vice president of policy, Christian Hain, told CNN.
Making more data public
Hane said he would like to see the language of the Biden administration to clarify that firearms traces should be made public in order to better understand how to stop the flow of illegal weapons. He said “harmful interpretations” of Tiahrt’s 2003 amendment limited the public’s ability to receive information on trace data. Due to limitations in the amendment, ATF is unable to publish detailed tracking data.
“This is a major problem with accountability,” Josh Horwitz, co-director of the Center for Solutions to Gun Violence in John Hopkins, told CNN.
Implement existing red flag laws.
Horwitz said the Biden administration could also prioritize funding to support the implementation of extreme risk protection orders, also known as the Red Flag law. The orders allow the temporary confiscation of weapons from people who are considered to be at high risk of injuring themselves or others. He noted that the effectiveness of orders to prevent acts of violence depends entirely on implementation and enforcement.
Action Biden has already taken up arms
After taking office, the White House unveiled several packages of executive action to control so-called ghost weapons, promote the safe storage of firearms, strengthen police forces and expand programs to intervene in community violence:
Ghost weapons
Biden has announced a new regulation restricting the use of so-called ghost pistols, which are self-assembled firearms that do not have a serial number and are difficult to track and regulate. Ghost pistol kits can be purchased online and the weapon can be assembled in just 30 minutes.
The rules require that anyone who buys a kit undergo an inspection and require those who sell the kits to mark the components with a serial number. It also obliges firearms dealers to add a serial number to ghost weapons that have already been assembled.
Ghost weapons make up a relatively small proportion of law enforcement weapons, but officials say guns have become more common at crime scenes in recent years.
Promoting the safe storage of firearms
Biden unveiled a new strategy to prevent suicide of military and veterans last year, which includes promoting the safe storage of firearms and outlining best practices for firearms dealers.
The plan includes a federal focus on improving the safety of lethal weapons, which is a voluntary practice to reduce the risk of suicide by restricting access to items that can be used to cause self-harm, including drugs, firearms or sharp tools.
The president has ordered the Ministry of Justice to announce a new rule clarifying the obligations that firearms dealers must provide for the safe storage of weapons or security devices. Biden also instructed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to issue a best practice guide for all federal firearms dealers to remind them of the steps they are required by law to protect communities. safe.
Other actions of the Ministry of Justice
Last summer, the Department of Justice launched an anti-arms trafficking initiative focusing on Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C., which are well-known corridors for illegal arms trafficking and used for deadly shootings and other crimes. The aim of the strike force is to better coordinate law enforcement agencies in different jurisdictions in order to disrupt traffic networks.
The Ministry of Justice has proposed clarifying the restrictions on stabilizing brackets that turn a pistol into a short-barreled rifle. Improvised short-barreled rifles were used in two mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Dayton, Ohio.
Biden has ordered the Department of Justice to publish models of “red flag” laws for states that allow the temporary confiscation of weapons from people believed to be at high risk of injuring themselves or others.
Strengthen law enforcement and violence intervention programs in the community
The $ 1.9 trillion Covid Relief Act or the U.S. Rescue Plan has provided $ 350 billion to states, local governments, territories and tribes. The administration says it has funding for law enforcement, as well as for expanding intervention programs against community violence.
The White House also established the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaboration in July, a group that includes mayors, law enforcement and community intervention experts. The group says it is exploring how best to use US rescue plan funding and other public funding to increase investment in “community violence intervention infrastructure.”
ATF nomination
Several groups praised the appointment by President Steve Detelbach, a former federal prosecutor, to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. If confirmed by the Senate, Detelbach will be the nation’s best arms regulator.
During a confirmation hearing in the Senate on Wednesday, a day after the shooting at Uwalde Primary School, Detelbach swore to lawmakers that he would not be influenced by political considerations if he got a job.
The president said Sentel’s confirmation of ATF by Senate was crucial to enforcing gun laws and curbing gun crime. ATF is running under a series of acting directors since its last Senate-confirmed leader stepped down in 2015, and the Senate last confirmed its ATF nomination in 2013.
Add Comment