President Biden on Thursday unveiled new planned executive actions to address gun violence in the United States, describing this "epidemic" as a "blemish on our character as a nation."
Biden while speaking in the Rose Garden discussed numerous "immediate, concrete actions" he's taking to address gun violence, while also urging additional action from Congress.
"Gun violence in this country is an epidemic, and it's an international embarrassment," Biden said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The president said his administration will seek to "reign in the proliferation" of "ghost guns," homemade guns without serial numbers. The Justice Department will also produce a new annual report on firearms trafficking, and the administration will move to further regulate weapons with stabilizing braces, Biden said. The DOJ will additionally publish model "red flag" legislation to flag family members who shouldn't be allowed to purchase firearms, per NBC News.
Outside of these executive actions, Biden also called for "much more" action from Congress, including banning assault weapons and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers, and he described the latter step as a top priority.
"They've offered plenty of thoughts and prayers, members of Congress," Biden said. "But they've passed not a single new federal law to reduce gun violence. Enough prayers. Time for some action."
The president argued against the notion that these actions infringe on the Second Amendment, saying "no amendment to the Constitution is absolute." He concluded his remarks by saying that "the idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation."
House Democrats' background check bill that Biden called for the Senate to pass, Politico's Burgess Everett noted, "as of now doesn't have 50 votes," while Punchbowl News' Anna Palmer added that it's "hard to see an assault weapon ban making it through the House." Brendan Morrow
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.