A string of mass shootings leads President Biden to crack down on illegal gun sales, labeling sellers “merchants of death”.
What We Know:
- The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals blocked California Judge Roger T. Benitez’s June 4 decision to overturn Assault Weapon Ban. Benitez considered California’s 32-year-old Assault Weapon Ban unconstitutional. He concluded that supposed assault weapons are not “extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection…instead, the firearms deemed ‘assault weapons’ are fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles.” President Biden announced hope of reinstating the Assault Weapon Ban.
- Given recent spikes in gun violence, the White House addressed plans to strategically lower crime and violence generated by illegally owned weapons. The administration investigated loopholes providing gun access for unlicensed individuals, including the “boyfriend loophole”.
- The boyfriend loophole is a commonly used tactic by domestic abusers to obtain weapons. Minnesota Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar describes the loophole stating, “If you commit a serious crime of domestic abuse against your wife, you can’t get a gun, but if you do it against your girlfriend, you can.” Prohibiting gun ownership for abusers on a federal level doesn’t apply to boyfriends, but it does apply to boyfriends sharing children or residence with the victim.
- On the state level, there are 23 states with laws prohibiting abusive partners from being granted firearm access. 19 states, including California, Texas, Illinois, and New York, prevent people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing guns.
- The US Justice Department is enacting a “zero-tolerance policy”. The policy applies to people knowingly selling weapons to others prohibited from owning them, people failing background checks, and people falsifying records. President Biden’s message to policy-violating Americans: “We will find you”.
- Summer months tend to have higher crime rates. Last year’s pandemic saw a 30% increase in homicides, with the trend continuing into 2021. The first three months of 2021 had an 18 percent higher crime rate than the first three months of 2020. Violent crimes specifically are on the rise, an area in which the Biden Administration is attempting to intervene.
A zero-tolerance policy for criminal gun acquisition and working to close the gaps are clearly stated goals of President Biden.
