President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase background checks when visiting a Los Angeles suburb that has been the site of a mass shooting this year.
Biden issued the order shortly before traveling to Monterey Park, where 11 people were killed at a Lunar New Year rally in January. “We’ve all seen a day and joy and light turn into a day of fear and darkness,” Biden said Tuesday afternoon as he read the names of the victims of a mass shooting “I’m here with you today to act,” Biden said.
The executive order directs Attorney General Merrick Garland to clarify the statutory definition of who is “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, an authority that an administration official said is detailed in sweeping bipartisan gun legislation that Biden signed last year after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalda, Texas.
The official said in a phone call with pre-booked reporters “This news would mean that fewer guns would be sold without background checks, and therefore fewer guns would end up in the hands of criminals and domestic abusers”.
Last year, the National Instant Background Check System conducted more than 31 million background checks on people who wanted to own firearms or explosives, according to FBI data. An administration official said it was unclear how many new background checks the executive order would result in.
Biden says “It’s just common sense to check if someone is a felon and a domestic abuser before they buy a gun”.
The order also urges members of Biden’s cabinet to in 19 states and Washington, D.C. promote the effective use of extreme risk protection orders or “red flag” laws through partnerships with law enforcement, health care providers, and educators.
Through the order, Biden also encourages the Federal Trade Commission to compile a report examining how gun manufacturers sell firearms, including to minors.
A newly divided Congress appears unlikely to tackle more gun bills after passing a sweeping bipartisan bill last year. The measure gives states grants for red flag laws, expands background checks to include juvenile records and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole by keeping guns away from unmarried partners who have been convicted of abuse.
In addition, it calls for better background checks on people aged 18 to 21 and funding for youth mental health services. Biden signed the bill just two days after the Supreme Court struck down a law limiting concealed carry permits.
