Garland’s sights on firearms

Merrick Garland, President Biden’s nominee for attorney general, said on Monday that there was legal room for new federal gun control and wouldn’t rule out bans on certain types of guns.

Speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, the DC federal appeals-court judge noted that Biden supported new gun limits and said his job as head of the Justice Department would be to pursue them.

“As I’m sure you know, the president is a strong supporter of gun control and has been an advocate all of his life, professional life, on this question,” Garland said. “The role of the Justice Department is to advance the policy program of the administration as long as it is consistent with the law.”

Asked by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) whether it would be possible to ban certain types of guns, Garland said, “Where there is room under the law for the president’s policies to be pursued, then I think the president is entitled to pursue them.”

Biden last week called on Congress to enact reforms to require background checks on all gun sales, ban assault weapons and highcapacity magazines and eliminate immunity for gun manufacturers.

Garland is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate with many Republican votes.

In 2016, he was nominated by then-President Barack Obama to replace the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, but Republicans who controlled the Senate declined to hold confirmation hearings.