Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief

Mvk5945@psu.edu

Last summer, for the first time in nearly three decades Congress managed to pass new gun safety legislation. However, the Biden Administration has consistently made it clear gun control is still a priority for them, and this week Biden issued a new Executive Order to that effect.

On Tuesday, March 14 President Biden stood in front of a suburban LA community who were still stricken with grief from the losses they faced when a gunman entered a dance hall and claimed eleven lives in January. 

“We remember and mourn today,” Biden stated to the crowd in Monterey Park. “But I’m here with you today to act.” 

Biden then took this time to announce his new Executive Order, meant to tighten background check enforcement. 

In the recent legislation that was passed, the definition of what it means to be considered a gun dealer was altered. This made it so people who sell guns through small collections or via the internet are now typically considered dealers. The new Executive Order is aimed at making sure these types of dealers are aware of their responsibility and are complying with the need for background checks. 

Biden was an advocate for gun control while in the White House under the Obama Administration, but has had an increasingly vocal stance on the issue recently. The administration has stated numerous times a desire to ban assault weapons, and their rhetoric for gun control has been becoming increasingly vocal since the midterm elections passed. 

Issuing an Executive Order is one of the actions Biden could take individually to force action on gun control, but he has limited power without the support for legislation in Congress. The order does not alter any official government policy, but rather direct federal agencies to have the power to ensure compliance with existing laws. 

Biden has stated these agencies may then be able to respond to gun violence with more authority to act. Grief and trauma support can be supplied in mass casualty incidents and financial aid may then become available to the victims. 

“Let’s be clear, none of this absolves Congress from the responsibility of acting to pass universal background checks, to eliminate gun manufacturers immunity to liability,” Biden declared during the speech. 

Biden also directed the Attorney General Merrick Garland to clarify the rules and enforcement for federally licensed gun dealers, making everyone aware of who is required to issue background checks. 

The Federal Trade Commission has been directed by the order to issue a public report analyzing the way gun manufacturers market to minors and the general public through the use of military images. 

Biden also stated he will be directing his Administration to ensure people are aware of the potential benefits of red-flag laws. These types of laws allow for the temporary removal of firearms from people who exhibit potentially violent behavior towards themselves or others. The Justice Department has sent out millions of dollars to assist states with administering red-flag laws and crisis-intervention programs. 

The Executive Order has the goal “[O]f increasing the number of background checks conducted before firearms sales, moving the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation,” reads the statement the White House Briefing Room released. “The Executive Order will also keep more guns out of dangerous hands by increasing the effective use of “red flag” laws, strengthen efforts to identify and apprehend the shooters menacing our communities.” 

Last year, when the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed altering gun control policy for the first time in decades, Biden called for Congress to seize on this bipartisan moment and advance legislation to include more common sense gun measures. Since then, he has been repeatedly and more adamantly calling for alterations in the way gun control is approached across the country. 

Although the Executive Order does not hold much power on its own, we may see changes and tightening restrictions on small dealers in the coming weeks and months. However, the overarching topic of gun control is unlikely to go away, especially with this presidential administration making it a priority.