President Joe Biden unveiled several executive actions on Thursday aimed at curbing gun violence, including measures on unregistered firearms that can be assembled from parts, commonly referred to as “ghost guns.”
The new directives come in the aftermath of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., that killed 18 people.
“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic and an international embarrassment,” Biden said Thursday in announcing the measures in the White House Rose Garden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Biden called gun violence in the United States a “public health crisis,” an “epidemic” and an “international embarrassment.”
The president said none of the measures he is proposing would affect the Second Amendment, and called constitution-based criticisms of gun control measures “phony arguments.”
In his remarks, Biden urged Congress to revive a ban on assault weapons and large capacity gun magazines.
“This is not a partisan issue among the American people,” Biden said. “And I’m willing to work with anyone to get these done. And it’s long past time that we act.”
The president added that an exemption that shields gun manufacturers from being sued also should be removed.
“If I get one thing on my list … give me that one,” he said.
“We’ve got a long way to go. It seems like we’ve always got a long way to go.”
Families who lost children or friends to gun violence attended the Rose Garden event, including shootings at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 and a high school in Parkland, Fla., in 2018. Gun control advocate and former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in 2011, also attended.
Biden also urged the Senate to immediately pass three bills already adopted by the House to close gun loopholes, including an expansion of universal background checks.
“Enough prayers. Time for some action,” he said.
In one order, Biden asks the Justice Department to issue a rule within 30 days to tamp down on the proliferation of “ghost guns,” which often don’t have a serial number and can’t be traced by law enforcement.
“We are experiencing a growing problem: Criminals are buying kits containing nearly all of the components and directions for finishing a firearm within as little as 30 minutes and using these firearms to commit crimes,” the White House said in a statement.
Another directive asks the department to develop “red flag” laws that states can adopt. Such measures would allow family members to petition courts to take firearms from people who are deemed a threat. Several states already have red flag laws, including Colorado.
At Thursday’s event, Biden nominated David Chipman to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Chipman is a former federal agent, gun control advocate and adviser for the gun control advocacy group named for Giffords.
Other measures unveiled Thursday include:The Justice Department, within 60 days, must clarify regulations to ensure that pistols fitted with stabilizing braces, which essentially transform them into rifles, will be regulated under the National Firearms Act. These pistols do not fall under U.S. gun laws that regulate rifles. The alleged shooter in the Boulder tragedy last month appears to have used a pistol with an arm brace, which can make a firearm more stable and accurate while still being concealable. Directives for various agencies to provide more resources to community violence prevention measures. The White House said community violence interventions are proven strategies for reducing gun violence in urban communities through tools other than incarceration.
Health and Human Services Department webinar and toolkit to educate states on how they can use Medicaid to reimburse certain community violence intervention programs. The American Jobs Plan proposes a $5 billion investment over eight years to support community violence intervention programs. A Justice Department report on firearms trafficking and annual updates to give lawmakers information to help address firearms trafficking. In 2000, the ATF issued a report on its investigations into firearms trafficking, which is one way firearms are diverted into the illegal market where they can end up in the hands of dangerous individuals.
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One lie after another, after another, after another. The people are onto you, demented old geezer. You will NOT destroy the second amendment with your illegal executive orders. If the magpies on the supreme court will not stop you, the PEOPLE will.
I fear the people will NOT.
YEA> AS we saw all last year, FAR TOO many were just willing to bend over, and give up their freedoms.. and even NOW< not enough are still fighting to get them back.
And yet we continue to tolerate this usurper and the tyranny that he and his party are creating in our country. I wonder when or even if people will actually grow a pair and do something.
I used to think that, when they finally tried to implement gun confiscations, that would be all she wrote. But, after the way we have rolled over in the face of an obviously stolen election, and a governing body (i.e. SCOTUS) that is complicit in that coup, I fear that most of us will simply hand them over, and then go post another spicy meme on patriots.win. It seems that all we have left on our side are dry, old men and keyboard commandos.
These days, it seems more and more, that its just an “IF” only. not a when.
Joe Biden and the Democrat party of COVID co-Conspirators have created more deaths by guns, mostly in Democrat run cities of criminal releases, lack of prosecutions and defunding of police,,,,,, than any registration of gun control laws that they can dream up to hide thier co-conspiracy of death by guns. I guarantee you that if evefry Democrat run city was replace by a Republican administration today, by next week death by guns would no longer be an issue, nor would there be a need to control or confiscate them. Only people who have surrendered their will or ability to SELF-govern their lives and emptions ,are unfit to self-govern the safe use of a firearm. Enter the Democrat Dominatrixes of dependency who always insist on holding the whip hand OVER THE PEOPLE.
I doubt even putting a republican governor/mayor in those cities, would do anything to their crime stats.. TILL YOU ALSO REPLACE EVERY DA and State AG as well as all those leftist hack judges..
This has absolutely nothing to do with the danger of ‘ghost guns’. There’s no documented use of them in any mass killings. There’s no public health crisis from them at all. It’s the incremental dismantling of the Second Amendment to move to a communist govt and we are well on our way.
Don’t worry. I am sure the CIA/FBI are gearing up to create a ‘ghost gun’ mass shooting..
“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic”. Yep Joe, it is an epidemic within the inner cities, because you Democrats will not punish felons who commit murders, you will not prosecute criminals who commit crimes using guns, you will not prosecute antifa and you will not prosecute blm. Hey Joe, you and your Democrat party are responsible for the “Gun violence in this country”. I suggest Joe, they should put all of you liberals in prison and the gun problem will be solved.
IF we banned democrats and blacks from owning guns, and ENFORCED IT, how low our gun crime rate would then become?
Remember when Obama was trying to get gun control laws passed and Biden* said “We don’t have time to enforce the existing laws.?”
Biden can go F–k himself….period!
“Enough prayers”. yeah sure. . . he’s a “devout Catholic” as “Baghdad Babs” Psaki claims . . . .
HE prays to molock… OR allah.. Certainly not to god.
The real “international embarrassment” is the way the US educational performance is dropping like a stone – we are like #29 in the world now. Some superpower we have become so let’s give a tip of the hat to the NEA and the teachers union for their fabulous efforts over the past several decades.
IMO That whole education drop is one of the BIGGEST REASONS the leftist ideology has become so potent, and political.. TOO MANY MORONS are being allowed to RUN FOR office, and VOTE.
Fortunately I live in AZ where the legislature passed and our Governor signed AB2111 which prohibits the enforcement of Biden’s BS anti 2nd Amendment laws in the state. More states need to tell the Federal Government to efe off. Perhaps we should all use slow Joe’s logic that “no Amendment is absolute” with respect to the 16th Amendment by refusing to file tax returns or pay income taxes.
He trots out family’s that lost children in the Marjorie Stoneman HS massacre and others to make his point but Nicolas Cruz the POS that committed the atrocity still has not been tried, much less convicted and executed more than 3 years later. There is zero questions of his guilt.
Pity the RINO IN charge of Ohio, has yet to do the same.. AND I FEAR He never will..
AND I voted for that cretin. Makes me regret doing so.
Why do politicians never mention: I.A.W. U.S. Census & FBI (Table 43a) Black males make up about 6% of the U.S. population but commit 53% of all the murders and 55% of all robberies in the U.S. with guns???
OH No, that would be “racist” to acknowledge these facts and reality.
Thank you for your service. #usaf
“….enough prayers!”
What did he just say?
There is one devout Catholic who believes his deep rooted faith is just superstition. Mankind always finds trouble when they think they can solve their problems without God….better than God.
Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
By what authority does this senile so called president have that he can tell us, “enough prayers”?
Seems it is forgotten that to Protect “we the People” the 2nd amendment is a “Red Flag Law” to remove a political threat in office.
The same 2nd amendment is what criminal socialist want removed.
IN the hands of socialist Red flags laws are actually a means to falsely make claims against people and then protect/allow the police/government agents to shoot to death the the named firearm owner without further verification of the accusations. We are seeing this already where such Red Flag laws have been implemented.
Remember it was the Government that initiated WACO and it will be the socialists that anonymously target and kill opposition with Red Flag laws.
Rights are not absolute because they can conflict with others. That required judicial resolution, not regulation to destroy rights. Gun makers are not shielded from lawsuits. They are protected from being automatically blamed for the use of their products just as other manufacturers are when users cause injury to themselves or others. A Capitol police officer was recently murdered with an automobile. The driver was responsible, not the maker of the car. If a gun had been used, Biden would have the gun maker held responsible.
Now the senile old piece of raw sewage has 5 lawsuits against him. Anyone want to bet he’ll be up to 6 before his 100 days are over with?
First i am hearing of those lawsuits.
Chicago has strict gun laws and one of the highest gun violence in the country. The 13% does most of the gun violence. But has anyone said about going into the hood to get these guns ??? No he just want white Conservative guns
As tucker said Friday, its literally punishing White Trump supporter gun owners… THAT IS IT.
No, actually , it hurts minorities, especially lower income Americans because it makes it more expensive and more difficult to buy a gun. And lower income Americans ae more likely to live in high crime areas where they are more likely to need to be able to protect themselves and their families.
Face the truth. The Democrats are a filth spreading like a cancer. No need to be fair or civil to them.
Wow what a big man , listen to him he is right all the time !
The president… called constitution-based criticisms of gun control measures “phony arguments.”
How appropriate: “phony arguments” from a phony President.
When I think of an epidemic I think of something that is getting worse rapidly. Firearms relate deaths are not an epidemic because they are getting fewer over time. Since 1993 the gun homicide rate has decreased steadily with the current rate less than half that in 1993. In 2019 there were 10,258 firearms homicides including 364 using rifles of any kind, not just AR-15s. For comparison 1476 homicides used knives or other cutting instruments, 397 used hammers, bats, and other blunt instruments, and 600 were killed with fists and feet. Does that sound like gun homicides are an epidemic? Fun fact: While gun homicides were decreasing by 50% gun ownership increased by about 50%. If lots of guns “on the street” means more “gun violence” shouldn’t the deaths have increased? Now, in the last few years the death rate has increased. . . in large cities that have been run by Democrats for decades and that have ALL the gun control laws Biden* is trying to force on the rest of us.
The lies just keep on coming! Another thing he lied about is that when the 2nd A was written, you couldn’t own any weapon you wanted. Not true! In fact you could even own an armed warship. And as far as “no Amendment is absolute,” well, the 2nd is the ONLY ONE THAT STATES: “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”