Biden’s new order seeks to increase gun background checks

WASHINGTON –President Joe Biden took executive action Tuesday that seeks to increase the number of background checks conducted during gun sales as the White House reverts to unilateral ways to tackle gun control amid bleak prospects in Congress. ⬤ The order stops short of requiring universal background checks, which the president has asked Congress to pass through legislation. His action instead directs Attorney General Merrick Garland to clarify what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms.h Federal law requires that individuals in the business of selling guns be federally licensed and therefore check the backgrounds of buyers. Under the order, Garland will use his discretion to ensure gun sellers “willfully violating the law” and those unaware of background requirements become compliant. ⬤ “We remember and mourn today, but I’m here with you today to act,” Biden said at a Boys & Girls Club in Monterey Park, California, where he grieved with family members of 11 people killed in a mass shooting there in January. “It’s just common sense to check whether someone is a felon, a domestic abuser before they buy a gun.” ⬤ Biden faces increasing pressure to address gun violence following a series of mass shootings this year, but his proposals to reinstate a ban on assault weapons and require universal background checks lack the votes in the Republicancontrolled House.

What else does Biden’s order do on gun safety?

⬤ “As close ... as possible”: Biden’s gun order moves the United States “as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation,” the White House said.

⬤ Implementation: Federal agencies responsible for carrying out the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – a landmark gun law passed by Congress last year – must detail how they’re implementing it within 30 to 60 days. A key piece of the legislation expands background checks on gun buyers 21 and younger to include their mental health and juvenile justice records.

⬤ “Red flag” laws: The order promotes the use of extreme-risk protection – a move meant to complement the 19 states that have “red flag” laws that allow a court to order the removal of a person’s firearms if they’re considered dangerous.

⬤ Promoting safety: The order directs Biden’s cabinet to do everything it can to promote the safe storage of firearms.

How does Biden’s order target the gun industry?

⬤ Rogue gun dealers: In an effort to expose “rogue” gun dealers, the order directs Garland to publicly release, to the fullest extent possible, ATF records that detail violations from the inspection of firearms dealers.

⬤ Gun marketing: It also orders the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report analyzing how gun manufacturers market to minors and to all Americans through the use of military imagery.