AP

President Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed

Apr 8, 2021, 2:27 PM

gun control...

President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, second from right, departs after speaking about gun violence prevention in the Rose Garden at the White House, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, in his first gun control measures since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment.”

“The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation,” Biden said during remarks at the White House.

He announced he is tightening regulations for buyers of “ghost guns” — homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts and often lack serial numbers used to trace them. Also, a proposed rule, expected within 60 days, will tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces like the one used in Boulder, Colorado, in a shooting last month that left 10 dead.

On Thursday, family members whose children were killed at the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, school massacre in 2012 and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018 attended the hearing. Biden thanked them for attending, saying he understood it would remind them of the awful days when they got the calls.

He assured them, “We’re absolutely determined to make change.”

Biden’s Thursday announcement delivers on a pledge the president made last month to take what he termed immediate “common-sense steps” to address gun violence, after a series of mass shootings drew renewed attention to the issue. His announcement came the same day as yet another, this one in South Carolina, where five people were killed.

Biden emphasized the scope of the problem: Between the mass killings in Atlanta massage businesses and the Colorado grocery store shooting last month, there were more than 850 additional shootings that killed 250 and injured 500 in the U.S., he said.

But Thursday’s announcement underscores the limitations of Biden’s executive power to act on guns. His orders tighten regulations on homemade guns and provide more resources for gun-violence prevention but fall far short of the sweeping gun-control agenda he laid out on the campaign trail.

Indeed, Biden again urged Congress to act, calling on the Senate to take up House-passed measures closing background check loopholes. He also said Congress should pass the Violence Against Women Act, eliminate legal exemptions for gun manufacturers and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Biden said

“This is not a partisan issue among the American people,” Biden insisted.

While Biden asserted that he’s “willing to work with anyone to get it done,” gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals.

Biden was joined at the event by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland said he was “under no illusions about how hard it is to solve the problem of gun violence” and emphasized a need for a “collective effort to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and save lives.”

The Justice Department cannot solve the problem by itself, he said, but “there is work for the department to do, and we intend to do it.”

It is currently legal to build a “ghost gun” in a home or a workshop, and there is no federal requirement for a background check.

The Justice Department will issue a proposed rule requiring such gun kits be treated as firearms under the Gun Control Act, which would require that the parts be made with serial numbers and that buyers receive background checks.

Months before Biden was elected, the federal government had already been working on a proposed rule that would change the definition of a firearm to include lower receivers, the essential piece of a semiautomatic rifle, in an effort to combat the proliferation of ghost guns and to stave off losing court battles over the issue.

The process had been in the works in the waning months of the Trump administration, according to four people familiar with the matter. Justice Department leaders and officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been working on language for a proposed rule since at least the summer of 2020, the people said.

Another change announced Thursday concerns a proposed rule that will designate pistols used with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, which require a federal license to own and are subject to a more thorough application process and a $200 tax.

The department also is publishing model legislation within 60 days that is intended to make it easier for states to adopt their own “red flag” laws. Such laws allow for individuals to petition a court to allow the police to confiscate weapons from a person deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

The department also will begin to provide more data on firearms trafficking, starting with a new comprehensive report on the issue. The administration says that hasn’t been done in more than two decades.

The Biden administration will also make investments in community violence intervention programs, which are aimed at reducing gun violence in urban communities, across five federal agencies.

The president argued that gun violence was also a massive economic strain, citing the costs from hospital visits, legal fees, and the cost of keeping people in prison and providing therapy to victims and others. A majority of firearm deaths are from suicides.

Biden is also nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The ATF is currently run by an acting director, Regina Lombardo. Gun-control advocates have emphasized the significance of this position in enforcing gun laws, and Chipman is certain to win praise from this group. During his time as a senior policy adviser with Giffords, he spent considerable effort pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, changes to the background check system and measures to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms.

Chipman spent 25 years as an agent at the ATF, where he worked on stopping a trafficking ring that sent illegal firearms from Virginia to New York, and served on the ATF’s SWAT team. Chipman is a gun owner.

He is an explosives expert and was among the team involved in investigating the Oklahoma City bombing and the first World Trade Center bombing. He also was involved in investigating a series of church bombings in Alabama in the 1990s. He retired from the ATF in 2012.

During his campaign, Biden promised to prioritize new gun control measures as president, including enacting universal background check legislation, banning online sales of firearms and the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But gun-control advocates have said that while they were heartened by signs from the White House that they took the issue seriously, they’ve been disappointed by the lack of early action.

With the announcement of the new measures, advocates did laud Biden’s first moves.

“Each of these executive actions will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.

___

Associated Press writer Lisa Marie Pane in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

AP

grace poses with her i voted sticker design...

HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press

Creative ‘I Voted’ stickers branch out beyond the familiar flag design

The designs on the front of “I Voted” stickers are attracting a lot of attention this year.

3 hours ago

FILE - The sun sets behind high tension power lines on Sept. 23, 2024, in the Porter Ranch section ...

PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer

US economy grew at a solid 2.8% pace last quarter on strength of consumer spending

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 2.8% annual rate from July through September, with consumers helping drive growth despite the weight of still-high interest rates. Wednesday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — did slow slightly from its […]

3 days ago

A McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwich purchased, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Ch...

SARAH PARVINI, AP Technology Writer

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder back on the menu after testing rules out beef patties as E. coli source

he company said Sunday it will resume selling Quarter Pounders at hundreds of affected restaurants in the coming week.

5 days ago

Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, ...

JAKE OFFENHARTZ, Associated Pres

Timothée Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest after police shut down crowded event

Actor Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday.

6 days ago

You can prepare your online accounts for when you die....

KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer

One Tech Tip: How to prepare your online accounts for when you die

It's wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you're gone, but don't forget to take care of your digital estate too.

8 days ago

Union members watch as volunteers tally votes on a new contract offer from Boeing, Wednesday, Oct. ...

DAVID KOENIG and MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press

Boeing factory workers vote to reject contract and continue 6-week strike

Boeing factory workers have voted 64% against the company's latest contract offer and to continue a six-week strike.

10 days ago

Sponsored Articles

4 construction workers fixing roof against clouds blue sky, install shingles at the top of the hous...

Chipman Roofing

Weather the storms by maintaining your roof

By taking the time to assess your roof's condition and make repairs as needed, you maintain the longevity of your home's stability.

Tax Harassment...

Law Offices of Jordan F. Wilcox

Feeling intimidated by the IRS? 6 Essential facts you should know.

If you are receiving threatening letters and wage garnishments from the IRS, hiring an attorney can help ensure your rights are protected.

Photo courtesy of Nightmare on 13th...

Nightmare on 13th

Here’s why Nightmare on 13th is the best haunted house in Utah

Fall brings Halloween, and Halloween brings Haunted Houses. There’s no better Haunted House than Nightmare on 13th – here’s why!

USA, Utah, Bear Lake. The deep blue of Utah's Bear Lake contrasts with autumn foliage....

Bear Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

Experience Bear Lake’s all-year activities

We break down Bear Lake's four-season recreational offerings so the whole family can enjoy their time there any time of the year.

Water park with a vintage VW bug in front with a surfboard on top...

Cowabunga Bay

Spend the last days of summer at Cowabunga Bay! 

Cowabunga Bay is one of Utah's premier water parks that features water slides, a lazy river, a kids' cove, and a beach with lounge chairs.

A young woman smiles while reading the menu at a lakeside restaurant, enjoying the panoramic view o...

Bear Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

The best restaurants to try in Bear Lake

Save this guide to the best restaurants in Bear Lake when you need to find a place to dine during your next visit.

President Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed