Joe Biden Signs Executive Order to Reduce Gun Violence

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday to increase the number of background checks needed to buy guns, encourage better and more secure storage of firearms, and ensure that U.S. law enforcement agencies are gaining the most out of a bipartisan gun control law passed last summer.

During a lecture in Monterey Park, California, the Democrat president detailed his latest initiatives to reduce gun violence, CBS News reports.

At a Lunar New Year party in January, a shooter stormed a local dance hall and opened fire, killing 11 people and wounding 20 others.

The shooting has pierced the nation's soul, according to Joe Biden.

Before memorializing each victim individually, he reminded the gathering, "I am here on behalf of the American people to mourn with you, to pray with you, and to let you know that you are loved and not alone."

He continued, "I'm here with you today to act," and described the gun control measures he had signed into law the previous year.

With the announcement of the Joe Biden executive order, he hopes to save even more lives quicker.

Joe Biden Executive Order

Under the Joe Biden executive order, Attorney General Merrick Garland was directed to devise a plan to stop former federally licensed gun dealers whose licenses have been canceled or surrendered from selling guns again.

The order will raise awareness and encourage the implementation of extreme safety measures, including "red flag" legislation and secure gun storage, said Fox News.

Biden has given his Cabinet the directive to work with local authorities, medical professionals, educators, and other influential community members to promote the "effective use" of these executive orders.

He has also ordered his cabinet members to ramp up already established federal campaigns and initiatives to encourage the secure storage of firearms.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be entrusted with coordinating with carriers and shippers to minimize the loss or theft of weapons during transportation and improve reporting of such losses or thefts in consultation with the Department of Justice.

By giving the public and decision-makers additional information about federally licensed firearms dealers violating the law, the order would also keep the gun business accountable, according to the White House.

Some Are Not Satisfied With Joe Biden's Executive Order

Despite the law's best intentions, critics say it has done little to reduce gun ownership in the United States, Al Jazeera noted.

Furthermore, it did not include restrictions on assault-style guns, which have been used in several mass shootings and which Biden has said he would want to see prohibited.

"Let's be clear: None of this absolves Congress from the responsibility of acting to pass universal background checks, eliminate gun manufacturing immunity from liability," Biden said in his speech on Tuesday. "And I am determined, once again, to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines."

Eighty-four percent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from last year supported background checks for all firearm sales, while 70 percent supported red flag regulations.

They argue that background checks violate the right to bear arms and do nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms. Additionally, they claim that many red-flag regulations violate due process rights.

Conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court have overturned gun regulations in places like New York that Democrats passed, and Republican lawmakers have been generally resistant to attempts to establish more comprehensive gun control legislation.

Asserting that Biden's executive action would bring the U.S. "as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation," the White House appeared to concede these difficulties on Tuesday.

In his final remarks to the residents of Monterey Park, President Joe Biden acknowledged that he was aware of the "broken hearts" among them.

"I promise you that the day will come when the memory of your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye," said Biden. "I promise you; it will come."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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