President Joe Biden is reportedly set to announce an executive order increasing the number of background checks required to purchase a gun amid a recent string of mass shootings across the U.S.
The executive order is set to be announced in Monterey Park, California, on Tuesday. It aims to intensify implementation of laws that permit courts to confiscate firearms from individuals deemed dangerous and direct.
According to a summary from the White House, the order will direct Attorney General Merrick Garland to guarantee that gun sellers “who do not realize they are required to run background checks under existing law, or who are willfully violating existing law, become compliant with background check requirement.”
The use of red flag laws, which prohibit individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others from obtaining a firearm, would also ramp up under Biden’s order.
“President Biden is directing members of his Cabinet to encourage effective use of extreme risk protection orders, including by partnering with law enforcement, health care providers, educators, and other community leaders. In addition, President Biden is directing members of his Cabinet to expand existing federal campaigns and other efforts to promote safe storage of firearms,” the summary continued.
Discussions on gun control legislation have been reignited after a series of mass shootings in the country recently. Since then, Biden has reiterated his rhetoric against the 2nd Amendment.
During a speech earlier this year, the president stated unequivocally, “We’re going to ban assault weapons,” adding, “We banned it once, we’re going to do it again, and the number of bullets that can be in a clip.”
It is unclear what the president means when he refers to “assault weapons,” considering they are already illegal, which suggests that Biden is trying to redefine what makes an “assault weapon.”
Democratic lawmakers have also used the recent tragedies to push their far-left political statements.
“The constant stream of mass shootings have one common thread: they almost all involve assault weapons. It’s because these weapons were designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible. It’s time we stand up to the gun lobby and remove these weapons of war from our streets, or at the very least keep them out of the hands of young people,” State Sen. Dianne Feinstein said.
