Later today, President Joe Biden will unveil a sweeping package of executive actions to decrease gun violence in the United States, a move that is almost certain to enrage Republicans and those on the right who believe the Second Amendment is absolute, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it isn’t.
Politico reports that the planned executive actions are meant to help control some of the biggest problems with guns in America, especially as the landscape of the weapons market continues to evolve as technology allows for new ways to possess weapons of mass murder:
“Among the actions Biden will take will be to direct the Department of Justice to begin, within 30 days, the process of requiring buyers of so-called ghost guns — homemade or makeshift firearms that lack serial numbers — to undergo background checks and, within 60 days, regulating concealed assault-style firearms, according to the White House.”
The action to better regulate assault weapons will likely draw major resistance on the right, but the National Rifle Association (NRA) is badly weakened and currently in bankruptcy court after bilking its members out of millions of dollars that were spent on luxury items for the top brass of the pro-gun organization. That means the NRA won’t be able to marshal organized resistance to Biden’s executive orders.
Biden will be joined at the announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland, and is expected to task the Department of Justice with making it easier take weapons from those deemed a danger to themselves or others:
“Biden will also direct the Department of Justice to provide states within 60 days with proposed red flag legislation that would permit courts to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may be a danger to themselves or others and issue a comprehensive report on firearms trafficking, according to the White House. The last report was completed in 2000. In addition, Biden will direct five federal agencies to redirect money to help prevent community violence. The Department of Health and Human Services will also help teach states how they can use Medicaid money for gun violence prevention.”
As you’d expect, carping from gun fetishists has already begun before Biden even unveils his plan, with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, remarking:
“Where those orders exceed his lawful authority and usurp the power of Congress to make law, NSSF will take all appropriate steps to protect the interests of our industry and the Second Amendment rights of our customers.”
But executive actions related to public safety are difficult to challenge in court, so the pro-gun camp may find they have almost no way to effectively fight the president’s new orders.
No matter what Biden does, you can count on the gun crowd asserting that the president wants to take guns away from everyone, even though that’s nothing but a lie they recycle anytime gun control is discussed in Washington.
