Biden Signs Executive Order Reinforcing Background Checks For Gun Buyers In US

Joe Biden has signed an executive order that reinforces background checks for gun buyers and also strengthens federal support for state red flag laws

Joe Biden delivering remarks on reducing gun violence in Monterey Park.

Source : Getty Images

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued an executive order to reinforce gun sale background checks, in what White House called the most comprehensive policy the president can enact without Congress, reported Reuters. The executive order also strengthens federal support for state red flag laws that intend to stop gun sales to people that seem dangerous. 

“Every few days in the United States, we mourn a new mass shooting.  Daily acts of gun violence — including community violence, domestic violence, suicide, and accidental shootings — may not always make the evening news, but they too cut lives short and leave survivors and their communities with long-lasting physical and mental wounds,” Biden said in the executive order. 

“Last year, I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (the “Act”), the most significant bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years.  The Act provides communities with new tools to combat gun violence, including enhanced gun background checks for individuals under age 21, funding for extreme risk protection orders and other crisis interventions, and increased mental health resources to help children impacted by gun violence heal from the resulting grief and trauma,” he added. 

Hours after signing the order, Biden travelled to the Asian American enclave of Monterey Park neighbouring Los Angeles and met with the victims of a mass shooting that took place on January 21 and killed 11 people. 

"I'm here on behalf of the American people to mourn with you, to pray with you, to let you know you are loved and not alone," Biden told an audience in Monterey Park, a city of 60,000 that is 65% Asian, according to U.S. Census data.

After his speech, the President met privately with the families of victims and first responders, according to White House.

The order was however termed as rehashing existing law while threatening personal freedom by gun rights groups in the country. 

“The Biden administration should demand that soft-on-crime prosecutors and lawmakers use the laws already in existence to lock up criminals that misuse firearms to prey on innocent Americans," said Lawrence Keane, senior vice president of NSSF, the largest firearms trade industry group.