President Joe Biden said he’ll make an announcement on his upcoming gun control plan on Friday, coming after reports that suggested he would sign an executive order on guns in the near future.
When asked about reports saying he would take executive action soon, Biden responded in saying he would talk about his plan for gun control “the day after tomorrow.” It’s not clear if he will sign an executive order.
Earlier Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that “I think he sees it as vital to take steps on two tracks because congressional legislation obviously has a more permanent, lasting impact.”
“Executive actions are, of course, an important lever that every president has at their disposal,” she said.
During the news conference, Psaki declined to say what policies Biden would sign.
“I don’t have anything to preview,” she added. “I can convey that I expect the president will have more to say tomorrow.”
According to a report from Politico, Biden’s order may center on so-called “ghost guns,” which would require individuals to undergo background checks when they purchase kits to build a gun. It’s unclear if this would apply to guns that are 3-D printed. The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for comment.
Last month, during his first press conference, the president said he would push Congress to pass gun control laws. It came after two mass shootings in Colorado and Atlanta.
Before that, on March 23, Biden called for a ban on “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazines following the Boulder, Colorado, shooting. The term “assault weapons” has been criticized by gun rights groups for being intentionally vague and misleading, saying that it gives the false impression that legal, semi-automatic weapons are the equivalent of fully automatic weapons.
“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,” Biden said.
More than 100 House Democrats last month sent a letter to Biden and urged him to take action on concealed firearms similar to the one that was allegedly used in the Colorado shooting. Suspected Boulder gunman Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa used a semi-automatic Ruger AR-556 pistol, which is a smaller variant of an AR-15-style rifle.
In the midst of such proposals, however, gun sales in the United States have skyrocketed. March 2021 had the second-highest number of background checks for the purchase of a firearm in recorded history, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Only March of 2020 had higher numbers.
And last year saw more than 21 million background checks for firearms, according to NSSF data, ostensibly due to the insecurity presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and violent protests over the summer.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), meanwhile, wrote on March 31 that Biden’s statements will do the opposite as intended and lead to more “NRA memberships and guns.”
From The Epoch Times