Biden Administration Takes Enormous Step Towards Closing Gun Present Loophole


April 11, 2024 02:01 PM UTC

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  • by: Colorado Pols
Darkish Brandon

Whereas Colorado Republicans are busy leaving their firearms unattended in public locations, President Joe Biden is fulfilling a promise to shut the gun-show loophole.

As The New York Occasions stories:

The Biden administration has accredited the broadest growth of federal background checks in many years in an try to manage a fast-growing shadow market of weapons bought on-line, at gun exhibits and thru personal sellers that has contributed to gun violence.

Underneath a rule launched on Thursday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would require anybody “engaged within the enterprise” of promoting weapons at a revenue to register as a federally licensed firearms seller. Which means these sellers should run background felony and psychological well being checks on potential patrons.

The brand new regulation, which is more likely to face authorized challenges, may add as many as 23,000 federal sellers to the 80,000 already regulated by A.T.F., an underfunded division of the Justice Division that already struggles to observe sellers….

…President Biden, repeatedly blocked from enacting common background checks by Republicans in Congress, is leveraging a provision of the sweeping bipartisan gun management regulation handed in 2022 to attain an elusive coverage purpose that enjoys widespread public assist: closing the so-called gun present loophole.

Republicans, as we now have seen repeatedly, have no real interest in making actual adjustments to deal with gun violence on this nation. So Biden is discovering a approach to do it with out them.

Right here’s extra from The Related Press:

Hundreds extra firearms sellers throughout america must run background checks on patrons at gun exhibits or different locations outdoors brick-and-mortar shops, in line with a Biden administration rule that can quickly go into impact.

The rule goals to shut a loophole that has allowed tens of hundreds of weapons to be bought yearly by unlicensed sellers who don’t carry out background checks to make sure the potential purchaser shouldn’t be legally prohibited from having a firearm. Gun rights teams are anticipated to struggle it in courtroom.

It’s the administration’s newest effort to fight gun violence. However in a contentious election 12 months, it’s additionally an effort to point out voters — particularly youthful ones for whom gun violence deeply resonates — that the White Home is attempting to cease the deaths.

“That is going to maintain weapons out of the palms of home abusers and felons,” President Joe Biden stated in a press release. “And my administration goes to proceed to do all the pieces we probably can to save lots of lives. Congress wants to complete the job and move common background checks laws now.”

Home Assistant Minority Chief Joe Neguse

Home Assistant Minority Chief Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish) applauded Biden’s transfer, which comes simply days earlier than the twenty fifth Anniversary of the shootings at Columbine Excessive College in Littleton:

“From Columbine to Boulder, and Aurora to Colorado Springs, households throughout Colorado are far too acquainted with the ache and anguish attributable to gun violence and devastating mass shootings. At the moment’s rule closes harmful gaps in state and Federal gun legal guidelines, increasing background checks and doing extra to forestall related tragedies from taking place once more. We is not going to sit idly by as gun violence continues to devastate our communities,” stated Assistant Chief Joe Neguse.

Right here in Colorado on Friday, the legislature will return to discussing a proposed “assault weapons ban.”

Democrats are making it crystal clear in 2024 that they’re the one celebration taken with really doing something about our nation’s scourge of gun violence and mass shootings. If gun violence prevention is a matter that issues to you, then you definitely gained’t have a tough choice to make in November.

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