Emboldened Joe Biden
Targets The Industry
It’s another classic case of “one step forward, two steps back.” In the wake of credit card companies announcing a “pause” on their attempt to track firearms purchases, President Biden signed an executive order March 14 that took aim at the firearm industry.
In short, the order increases background checks, encourages additional “red flag” resources and will “hold the gun industry accountable” through a variety of measures, including directing the ATF to publicly release records of FFL dealers cited during an inspection.
The move doesn’t come as a complete surprise — especially since an executive order can advance a president’s agenda sans bipartisan support. When announcing the order, the president acknowledged as such.
“First, this executive order helps keep firearms out of dangerous hands, as I continue to call on Congress to require background checks for all firearm sales. And in the meantime … my executive order directs my Attorney General to take every lawful action possible to move us as close as we can to universal background checks without new legislation,” he said during an event at the The Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley in Monterey Park, Calif.
As he’s done in previous speeches, President Biden called on Congress to “do something big.”
“Let’s be clear: None of this absolves Congress from the responsibility of acting to pass universal background checks, eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,” he said.
He continued, “I am determined once again to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
Industry Responds
Industry organizations took exception with these latest gun control measures.
“The Biden administration should demand soft-on-crime prosecutors and lawmakers use the laws already in existence to lock up criminals who misuse firearms to prey on innocent Americans,” said Larry Keane, NSSF SVP and general counsel. “Instead, this administration continues to scapegoat the firearm industry for its unwillingness to address crime.”
“The failure of this administration to seriously address spiraling crime and instead focus its attacks on a Constitutionally protected industry that works diligently to remain in compliance with laws and regulations and actively cooperates with law enforcement, especially ATF, exposes the lack of urgency Americans demand to curb rampant and out-of-control crime,” Keane added.
In a similar vein, Alan Gottlieb of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) labeled this order as “just another chapter in Joe Biden’s war on gun rights.”
“This is textbook Joe Biden,” Gottlieb concluded. “Talk tough, make it appear he’s doing something about crime when he really isn’t, and ultimately just continue penalizing law-abiding gun owners for crimes they didn’t commit. The only people who will be any safer are the criminals who ignore gun control laws already.”
How do you see your business being impacted by these latest measures? We want to hear from you! editor@shootingindustry.com.
