Friday, The White House confirmed President Joe Biden would sign an executive order on gun control.
At the White House press conference Friday, CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitland Collins asked, “Should we still be expecting executive orders from the President on gun measures?” White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded, “Yes,” and said there isn’t “an exact timeframe” on the gun control actions.
“I will note that when the president was the vice-president in the Obama-Biden administration, he helped put in place 23 executive actions to combat gun violence,” Psaki added. “It’s one of the levers that we can use, that any federal government, any President can use to help address the prevalence of gun violence and address community safety around the country.”
“We have to address this epidemic, address the threat of gun violence across many avenues,” Psaki said. “And he will. He’s committed to doing that.”
Paski said during Wednesday’s White House Press conference; President Biden had been considering using executive actions” for several weeks.”
“Executive actions are, of course, an important lever that every president has at their disposal,” Psaki stated. “There’s current discussions and analysis internally of what steps can be taken,.that that has been ongoing for several weeks, even before these two recent tragedies, that he looks forward to getting an update on and seeing what can be moved forward on that front as well. So he’s not waiting for anything to fail, is really the answer to your question.”
Psaki noted that the Biden administration believes addressing gun access is “important,” as well as “addressing community violence and a range of issues that are root causes and kind of lead to the deaths and the impact that we’re seeing that’s so troubling.”
In a statement last month, Psaki proclaimed that Biden “has a range of actions at his disposal” to bypass Congress to enact gun control measures. She added the president “hasn’t ruled out,” using executive powers to address the issue.
Biden hinted on Friday that one of his first actions on guns could have to do with 3D-printed guns & imported firearms.
“We are looking at what kind of authority I have relative to imported weapons as well as whether or not I have any authority to … these new weapons that are being made by 3D equipment that aren’t registered as guns at all,” Biden told reporters while on the tarmac en route to his home in Delaware. “There may be some latitude there as well.” with imported firearms and 3D-printed guns.
Biden is urged to take executive action on “ghost guns” by four democratic senators. Ghost guns don’t need to be registered or have a serial number. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives does not regulate these kits as firearms. According to CNN, Democratic lawmakers want ghost guns classified as firearms, which require a background check.
Biden on Tuesday called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take commonsense steps that will save lives in the future,” Biden demanded. “We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was a senator. It passed, it was the law for the longest time, and it brought down these mass killings. We should do it again.”
They are calling for more stringent background checks.
“We can close the loopholes in our background check system, including the Charleston loophole,” Biden said. “That’s one of the best tools we have right now to prevent gun violence. The Senate should immediately pass, let me say it again. The United States Senate, I hope some are listening, should immediately pass the two house past bills that close loopholes in the background check system.”
“This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call,” Biden declared. “We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer.”
“Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets,” the president continued. “We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now.”
The push for gun control measures from the Biden administration is in response to recent mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder.