Biden Touts Measures to Restrict Guns to Curb Violence

President Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of people Tuesday at Gun Sense University, an annual training conference held by Everytown for Gun Safety in Washington, and reaffirmed his commitment to work for more gun restrictions as he faces reelection in November.

He touted the work of his administration so far through executive orders, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and the funding allocated in the American Rescue Plan. Among the listed statistics were hundreds of millions of dollars for violence intervention programs, funding for state-led crisis interventions, and more than $1 billion for increasing school safety.

Under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Congress made gun trafficking and straw purchases federal crimes and implemented additional background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to buy a firearm. The Justice Department also made regulatory updates and submitted a final rule that helped rein in the proliferation of “ghost guns,” which are privately made firearms without a serial number.

The FBI stopped more than 700 firearms sales involving individuals under 21, he said during the speech, and 20,000 firearms dealers were required to become federally licensed and run background checks.

The White House also announced that 500 people have been charged under the new straw purchases and gun trafficking provisions and that the government has revoked licenses from 245 firearms dealers under the new inspection policies at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). According to the ATF, more than 460,000 crime gun trace requests were made in 2021 and more than 20 percent were unable to be traced back to the purchaser.

President Praises Activists

President Biden gave credit for his agenda’s continued advancement to his audience.

“You’re changing the nation, you really are,” he said. “You’re changing the nation. It builds upon the dozens of executive actions my administration has taken to reduce gun violence more than any of my predecessors and I suspect more than all of them combined. Everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking, so much more. Folks, we’re not stopping there.”

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The audience cheered as President Biden said it was time to ban so-called “assault weapons” and magazines that hold more than a dozen rounds, increase funding for the ATF, and take away the gun industry’s immunity.

He criticized congressional Republicans for wanting to eliminate the ATF, and for fighting against bans of firearms without serial numbers. He also attacked former President Donald Trump for touting his Second Amendment record to the National Rifle Association (NRA)—saying he had done “nothing on guns” during his administration—and telling people after a school shooting in Iowa to “get over it.”

“Hell no, we don’t have to get over it,” he said. “You got to stop it. You got to stop it and stop it now. More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined.”

President Biden told his audience that the Second Amendment does not mean “you can own anything you want.”

“If they want to take on government, if we get out of line, which they’re talking about again, guess what? They need F-15s. They don’t need rifles,” he added.

The president then attempted to unify.

“Whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we want our families to be safe,” he said, lamenting that he has been to too many events where he spoke with those affected by violence committed with a firearm.

“No single action can solve the entirety of a gun violence epidemic,” he said. “But together, our efforts—your efforts—are saving lives. You can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. You’re changing the culture. And we’ve proven we can do more than just thoughts and prayers. This is more than thoughts and prayers. You’re changing politics.”

President Biden then departed for his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where earlier today his son Hunter Biden was found guilty of three gun-related felony charges.