On Wednesday, President Joe Biden detailed actions the executive branch is taking to combat violence and crime at a time when cities are experiencing a surge in deaths. Biden stressed how money from his economic relief program may be repurposed to reduce violence.
Despite little movement on such proposals in Washington, Biden renewed his demand for Congress to adopt expanded background checks for firearm sales and a nationwide ban on assault weapons to reduce gun violence.
Biden warns potential spike in violent crimes amid the pandemic recovery
Biden, speaking from the White House's State Dining Room with Attorney General Merrick Garland, warned that the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic might result in more than the usual summer spike in violent crime. He stated that his administration is taking steps to stop the torrent, noting his extensive criminal justice experience.
Biden, who served in the Senate for over four decades before becoming Vice President under President Barack Obama for eight years, has been involved in nearly every significant piece of anti-crime legislation implemented during that period. He was one of the primary authors of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994.
He was also involved in the crafting of The Violence Against Women Act, a now-expired federal restriction on a series of military semiautomatic weapons and the financing for the Community Oriented Policing Services program. The Act is credited for a long-term decrease in crime that started in the 1990s.
Most Democratic legislators have long pushed for gun control measures, such as an assault weapons ban and universal background checks for gun transactions, which the President highlighted during his speech. The administration's main focus will be on pursuing gun sellers who break the law.
"We are announcing a major crackdown on the flow of guns used to commit violent crimes. It is zero tolerance for those who willfully violate key existing laws and regulations," Biden said, as per Business Insider.
But many experts in criminal justice now claim that the bill was a primary cause of Black Americans' mass imprisonment. The bill was a key element in the lawmaking of those provisions.
Biden campaigned on restoring the federal assault weapons prohibition and establishing tighter background check legislation as a presidential candidate. He has been hampered by a stalemate in Congress since entering office.
The President pledged to continue pushing for reforms in Congress but said that his administration will not wait to take action against gun dealers who sell to people who are legally prohibited from owning firearms, noting that approximately 5% of firearms dealers sell 90% of guns found at crime scenes. He also stated that the Justice Department would impose a "zero tolerance" approach, which would result in gun dealers losing their licenses if they did not follow federal weapons laws.
Per The Independent, Biden said, "These merchants offer profit for selling guns that are killing innocent people. It's wrong. It's not acceptable".
Biden warns illegal gun sellers
According to a senior White House official, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) will attempt to revoke the dealer's license after the first violation. However, the National Rifle Association claims Biden's plan is an attempt to divert attention away from the actual reasons for the spike in crime, Fox News reported.
The government has also targeted ghost guns and modified weapons, which are handcrafted firearms without serial numbers that can be traced, making it impossible for law enforcement to establish where, by whom, or when they were created, as well as to whom they were sold. Last month, the Justice Department's ATF attempted to alter the legal definition of firearms to combat ghost guns.
Biden also campaigned for hiring programs to keep young people occupied and off the streets over the summer, when they are frequently both the victims and perpetrators of crime. Such initiatives encourage young people to take up a paycheck instead of a firearm, the President said. He went on to explain that the DOJ has formed five new strike teams to counter illegal gun trafficking cartels, and he urged the Senate to renew the Violence Against Women Act, eliminating the "boyfriend loophole" that allows domestic abusers to get weapons.
Related Article: Joe Biden Pushes Congress to Move in the Wake of San Jose Mass Shooting; Calls for End of 'Epidemic Gun Violence'
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