According to Breaking 911, “The White House on Wednesday released what they call “Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic.”

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President Joe Biden has previously called for an ‘assault weapons ban’ and is expected to announce more executive measures regarding gun control. . . .

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing six initial actions to address the gun violence public health epidemic. The recent high-profile mass shootings in Boulder – taking the lives of 10 individuals – and Atlanta – taking the lives of eight individuals, including six Asian American women – underscored the relentlessness of this epidemic. . . .

The President is committed to taking action to reduce all forms of gun violence – community violence, mass shootings, domestic violence, and suicide by firearm.

President Biden is reiterating his call for Congress to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. Last month, a bipartisan coalition in the House passed two bills to close loopholes in the gun background check system. Congress should close those loopholes and go further, including by closing “boyfriend” and stalking loopholes that currently allow people found by the courts to be abusers to possess firearms, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and investing in evidence-based community violence interventions. . . .

But this Administration will not wait for Congress to act to take its own steps – fully within the Administration’s authority and the Second Amendment – to save lives. Today, the Administration is announcing the following six initial actions:

The Justice Department, within 30 days, will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of “ghost guns.” We are experiencing a growing problem: criminals are buying kits containing nearly all of the components and directions for finishing a firearm within as little as 30 minutes and using these firearms to commit crimes.  . . .

The Justice Department will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of these firearms.

The Justice Department, within 60 days, will issue a proposed rule to make clear when a device marketed as a stabilizing brace effectively turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act. The alleged shooter in the Boulder tragedy last month appears to have used a pistol with an arm brace, which can make a firearm more stable and accurate while still being concealable.

The Justice Department, within 60 days, will publish model “red flag” legislation for states. 

Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement to petition for a court order temporarily barring people in crisis from accessing firearms if they present a danger to themselves or others. The President urges Congress to pass an appropriate national “red flag” law, as well as legislation incentivizing states to pass “red flag” laws of their own. . . .

The Administration is investing in evidence-based community violence interventions. Community violence interventions are proven strategies for reducing gun violence in urban communities through tools other than incarceration.  . . .

• The American Jobs Plan proposes a $5 billion investment over eight years to support community violence intervention programs. A key part of community violence intervention strategies is to help connect individuals to job training and job opportunities.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is organizing a webinar and toolkit to educate states on how they can use Medicaid to reimburse certain community violence intervention programs, like Hospital-Based Violence Interventions.
• Five federal agencies are making changes to 26 different programs to direct vital support to community violence intervention programs as quickly as possible. These changes mean we can start increasing investments in community violence interventions as we wait on Congress to appropriate additional funds.  . . .

The Justice Department will issue an annual report on firearms trafficking. In 2000, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) issued a report summarizing information regarding its investigations into firearms trafficking, which is one way firearms are diverted into the illegal market where they can easily end up in the hands of dangerous individuals. Since the report’s publication, states, local, and federal policymakers have relied on its data to better thwart the common channels of firearms trafficking.  . . .

The Justice Department will issue a new, comprehensive report on firearms trafficking and annual updates necessary to give policymakers the information they need to help address firearms trafficking today.

The President will nominate David Chipman to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. ATF is the key agency enforcing our gun laws, and it needs a confirmed director in order to do the job to the best of its ability. But ATF has not had a confirmed director since 2015. Chipman served at ATF for 25 years and now works to advance commonsense gun safety laws. . . .

White House: Joe Biden Not Waiting on Congress, Using DOJ to Put Forward Gun Control

According to Breitbart, “On April 7, 2021, the White House released a fact sheet announcing that President Joe Biden will use  the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish model red flag “legislation,” address AR-pistols with stabilizer braces, and issue a rule to “stop the proliferation of ‘ghost guns.’”

Breitbart News reported that Biden planned to put forward executive action on gun controls Thursday, and the fact sheet provides an outline detailing what those actions may entail.

According to the White House:

• The Justice Department, within 60 days, will publish model “red flag” legislation for states.
• The Justice Department, within 60 days, will issue a proposed rule to make clear when a device marketed as a stabilizing brace effectively turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act.
• The Justice Department, within 30 days, will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of “ghost guns.”

The White House notes that Biden will also have “five federal agencies [make] changes to 26 different programs to direct vital support to community violence intervention programs as quickly as possible.” . . .

The White House explained that the DOJ will also begin “[issuing] an annual report on firearms trafficking.” One of the goals of the report will be to guide “policymakers” in crafting new regulations (and laws) to institute over time.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) pushed to recategorize AR-pistols with stabilizer braces in late 2020 then abandoned the effort amid public outcry. . . .

The purchase of AR-pistols categorized as “short-barreled rifles” could require being fingerprinted and photographed, as well as undergoing a background check, registering the firearm with the ATF, paying the federal government a $200 tax (on top of the price of the firearm), and waiting nine to ten months for the whole purchasing process to be completed. That is the standard process for other firearms and accessories under the purview of the National Firearms Act. . . .

What do you think about the new gun control actions Biden is taking? Discuss in the comments below!

(Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)