On Tuesday, Joe Biden, the United States President will announce an administrative order that strengthens background checks for gun buyers in what the White House is encouraging as the most comprehensive policy the president can pass without Congress.
The order will also reinforce federal support for red flag laws intended to stop gun sales to people deemed dangerous that have been passed by 19 states and the District of Columbia. It follows previous executive actions the Biden administration has taken with the intent to reduce gun violence.
Other characteristics of Biden’s order would promote the safe storage of guns and ask the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize how gun manufacturers market firearms, including to minors, a senior administration official told reporters on Monday.
Biden intends to concern the order on Tuesday, the White House said, when he will meet with gun violence victims in Monterey Park, California, where a shooter opened fire in a dance hall on Jan. 21, killing 11 people and injuring nine others.
In the U.S. with more than 40,000 gun deaths per year, Biden is betting that voters will assume more proactive gun control. Republican candidates who might desire their party’s nomination to challenge the Democrat Biden in 2024 are certain to favor more comprehensive gun rights, supported by influential groups such as the National Rifle Association. The Biden administration is indicating to public opinion polls that show a majority of Americans support background checks.
An Ipsos poll last year uncovered 84% of respondents backed background reviews for all firearms sales and 70% backed red flag laws. That survey was taken instantly after a gunman opened fire at a school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Some gun rights supporters counter background checks, saying they infringe on constitutional rights to have arms while failing to stop criminals from getting them. They also contend many red flag laws trample on due process rights.
Biden’s order also suggests that the federal government respond to mass shootings in a cooperative fashion, similar to the way the United States responds to a natural disaster, the senior aide said. Biden has asked his cabinet to create a federal response that would supply trauma counseling or financial assistance, for example, to a community upended by a mass shooting.
But the heart of the executive order would seek to expand background checks intended to prevent felons or domestic abusers from buying guns, largely by leaning on federally licensed gun dealers to comply or educating others who may not realize they are required to run background checks under existing law, the White House said.
The president last year signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun control legislation in 30 years. But since then the Republicans won authority of the House of Representatives, ending virtually any chance of more gun legislation for the next two years, such as Biden’s suggested prohibitions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
