Executive actions may include requiring background checks on sales of so-called “ghost guns” and other measures, Biden government officials told CNN. Policy considerations come amid a renewed national focus on gun control after a couple of mass shootings in the United States.
“Phantom weapons” are hand-made or self-assembled firearms that do not have serial numbers. The lawsuit would officially classify them as firearms, thus requiring a background check, according to government officials.
The government is also considering actions in other areas, including alerting law enforcement agencies when someone fails a federal background check. Gun control advocates say background checks can signal troubled individuals or criminals who are trying to access weapons.
Proponents also pressured the White House to expand the Obama-era definition of “in the business” of arms sales, which is the current legal definition of who requires a license and must conduct background checks.
Considerations come amid mounting pressure on President Joe Biden to act in the wake of two mass killings about a week apart, totaling 18 dead.
During the campaign, Biden said he would instruct his attorney general to institute better enforcement of existing firearms laws as a means of reducing armed violence. He also made a campaign pledge to send $ 900 million to community programs designed to combat violence, something the government is deciding how to comply with.
Proponents of gun security say the Biden administration can act almost immediately to resolve several of these problems.
“President Biden could take executive action today. He could strengthen the background check system. He could regulate phantom weapons. He could dramatically increase funding for community violence intervention programs. And that is exactly what he should be doing. “said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action.
But government officials seem reluctant to put too much emphasis on the potential executive action that can move forward, with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris placing the responsibility on Congress.
“We must first wait for the US Congress to act,” Harris told CBS This Morning. “I don’t think the president is excluding (executive action), but, again, I want to make it clear that if we really want something that is lasting, we need to pass legislation.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday that the government sees executive action as an option among many.
“The vice president touched on the fact that we want something to be permanent. If we want it to be lasting, we need to make legislation, (Biden) certainly believes that, but there are also executive actions under consideration that we will continue to work internally. And there are many levers, you can obviously use it as president, “she said.
Within the White House, efforts to plan executive actions are being led by the White House’s Domestic Policy Council Director, Susan Rice, and by the Director of Public Engagement Office Cedric Richmond, government officials and arms security advocacy groups to CNN.
Richmond told CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Tuesday that the government is researching the legality of implementing weapons-related policies through the executive authority.
“All of our executive orders – we are very careful to make sure they are constitutional and legal,” said Richmond. “Our team … will review all options and put all options on the table for the president to decide where he wants to go.”
Psaki said on Wednesday that the analysis was “in progress for several weeks” before the recent shootings in Atlanta and Boulder.
CNN reported on Tuesday that they met with arms control advocacy groups in the first months of the government to gather ideas and suggestions on the best way forward. Richmond and Rice continue to consult them, three of the groups initially involved told CNN.
“(They are) really looking at this issue in a comprehensive way,” said Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “We had several follow-up talks with the White House last week about the types of things they have been looking at.”
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.