Biden’s first steps to control gun crime

By al, April 9, 2021

President Joe Biden signed Executive Orders that send a signal that he wants gun control to move higher on Congress’ agenda. The news conference occurred on the same day as two mass shootings. The orders:

-Crack down on “ghost guns,” or guns that come in kits and can evade law enforcement because they don’t have serial numbers.

-Subject firearms that utilize stabilizing braces, which effectively turn pistols into short-barreled rifles, to more regulation.

-Direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to release an annual report on firearms trafficking.

But as executive orders, not actual laws, these moves are more a tremor than an earthquake. Biden would like to see far more gun control legislation, including a ban on assault weapons and the lifting of legal immunity for firearms manufacturers, but he won’t get very far without support from Republicans in Congress…which he doesn’t have.