Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
President Joe Biden will announce new executive actions attacking the firearms industry and the American gun owner during a speech in Monterey Park, California.
One of President Biden’s stated goals is universal background checks. To get closer to his goal, he will order the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to change the definition of someone engaged in the business of selling firearms. Most states allow gun owners to sell their firearms through private transactions without paying a federal firearms licensee (FFL) to transfer the gun.
The second action the White House is taking is launching a public relations campaign to educate the public on the use of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). ERPO, also known as “red flag laws,” strips gun owners of their firearms rights in an ex parte hearing where the gun owner cannot defend their rights. Many believe these laws are a violation of due process. Biden wants to educate people on how to file for ERPOs to increase the number of red flag orders issued.
The Biden Administration is also asking the Department of Transportation to work with shippers to cut down on stolen firearms and speed up the reports of missing shipments. This request could mean new regulations on firearms shipments or new requirements for shipping firearms. Many gun owners worry about changes since Congress has been putting immense pressure on shipping companies leading some to change policies that have made it more expensive to ship guns.
Biden vowed to crack down on “rogue” FFLs, and the ATF revocation of FFLs is up 500% since Biden took office. The White House will now require the ATF to release information on FFLs violations publicly. Many see this as a war on the gun industry.
AmmoLand News and Gun Owners of America (GOA) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the ATF to get the FOIA request of anti-gun groups. What we discovered was that these groups were requesting information on FFL violations. This slip-up could be as minor of a violation as a simple typo. Brady then released a legal course on how to use this information to sue FFLs. Biden seems to be taking steps to make it easier for anti-gun groups to get this information.
Biden will also use the Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition of firearms to attack the gun industry. It isn’t clear what he means, but this could mean putting stipulations in government contracts with firearms companies to prevent the sale of certain firearms to the public. He is also ordering the Federal Trade Commission to investigate “military imagery” used in the advertisement of guns.
“Use the Department of Defense’s acquisition of firearms to further firearm and public safety practices. The Department of Defense buys a large number of firearms and other weapons to protect and serve our country. The President is directing the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement principles to further firearm and public safety practices through Department of Defense acquisition of firearms, consistent with applicable law,” the statement said.
The President is also ordering all law enforcement agencies to issue rigorous requirements for the submission of fired casings to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). This database is like a fingerprint database of firearms. It allows the government to track down the gun that fired a round. The requirements were not unveiled.
Biden also ordered the acceleration of the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The bill was passed after the Uvalde shooting and was an appeasement to the anti-gun politicians in the Senate. John Cornyn led the Republican side of the negotiation, which saw Republicans give in on gun rights.
President Biden also wants to see a FEMA-level response for victims of crimes involving guns. This response includes providing medical assistance, food, housing, and mental health counseling. This request is only limited to crimes involving firearms. Things like the Boston Marathon bombing or 9-11 were not addressed.
The final thing the President announced was a push to update the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988. It was initially passed after Die Hard 2 came out and featured Glocks. Bruce Willis’s character, John McClane, remarked that “Glock 7s” were not detectable by metal detectors, which was false. The movie claim led to Congress passing the law. The law is set to expire at the end of the year.
Biden said because of new polymers; the law needs to be updated. Some worry that Biden is referring to 3D-printed guns that have rendered gun control useless.
AmmoLand News spoke with GOA’s Senior Vice President, Erich Pratt, about the President’s new executive actions. He said that GOA would respond and challenge any unconstitutional actions. Pratt picked apart Biden’s actions
“The current background check system is ineffective, and 9 out of 10 times falsely flags someone as ineligible to purchase,” Pratt said. “Instead of expanding the requirements to harass people who sell as few as just one firearm in a given year, this administration should be focusing their attention on keeping bad actors locked away, like the D.C. police chief openly stated just last week. Guns will continue to fall into the wrong hands as long as politicians and bureaucrats fail to acknowledge the real elephant in the room – violent criminals freely walking the streets.”
Many of these executive orders are on the wish list of anti-gun groups. Biden has made it clear that he wants to be the most anti-gun President in history.