President Biden is taking his case for tougher gun limits directly to the American public, writing in an op-ed that his power is limited and Congress must “do more.”
Mr. Biden, writing in USA Today, said last year’s bipartisan bill to expand background checks for young people and red flag laws that remove guns from those who are a danger to themselves or others was just a good start, and he is exploring executive action to rein in firearms.
“My power is not absolute. Congress must act, including by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,” he wrote. “We also need more governors and state legislators to take these steps.”
Mr. Biden, who recently announced his reelection bid, took credit for past actions against gun violence even as he said more needs to be done.
He said the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed last year, is stiffening background checks on those 21 and younger and has stopped more than 160 firearms from getting into potentially dangerous hands, according to Justice Department data.
The bill got through Congress after a racially motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and a massacre in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Mr. Biden acknowledged that mass shootings continue to happen, such as one at a Texas shopping mall last weekend that killed eight people, including children.
The president said he wants to build a bigger coalition to convince Congress it is time to ban AR-15-style weapons, which are often dubbed “assault” weapons. He said law enforcement could serve as a critical voice in the fight since police officers do not want to be “outgunned” by criminals with high-powered weaponry.
Republicans in Congress say they are willing to do more on gun violence but new laws should punish criminals instead of law-abiding gun owners. They also have argued that efforts to restrict responsible gun ownership put innocent people in danger because law-breakers will find ways to obtain weapons and wreak havoc against unarmed persons.
In the oped, Mr. Biden warned his GOP rivals that the majority of the public wants more restrictive gun policies and it is time to come to the table.
“Gun violence is mobilizing an entire generation of young people. But we cannot sit back and pass this problem off to the next generation to solve,” he wrote. “If we wait, too many of them will never have the chance to grow up. They deserve better than that, as do all of the gun violence survivors and victims’ families asking Congress to do more.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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