The Trace recently ran a piece on how “president-elect Joe Biden” can indeed get his gun control agenda through all on his own. After all, if after the Georgia runoffs the Senate remains locked in a 50-50 split, guess who gets the tie-breaking vote? Vice President Kamala Harris.
If after Georgia the Senate swings back to Republican control, Biden will have a tougher time getting all those promised bans through.
No worries, though, according to Michael Bloomberg’s agitprop generators at The Trace:
In either scenario, the Biden administration isn’t without options. Although the president doesn’t have the power to change existing laws or enact new ones on his own, he has the authority to direct agencies, set priorities, appoint leadership, and more. And Biden’s campaign signaled his willingness to act even if his proposals stall in the Senate. “Joe Biden also knows how to make progress on reducing gun violence using executive action,” his website reads.
But just in case that doesn’t go the anti-gunners’ way, The Trace helpfully compiled a seven-point list of ways a President Biden can get it done all by his lonesome:
- On Day One, Biden could sign an executive order creating an interagency task force on gun violence prevention. Such a task force could bring together the White House, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and any federal agency that touches gun violence with the goal of coordinating the national response.
- “At a minimum, it’s crucial to nominate and confirm an ATF director who will promote gun violence prevention values and will really prioritize the regulatory oversight mission of that agency, which is something the agency really has fallen short on in recent years,” [Chelsea Parsons, the vice president for gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank.] said.
- Homemade “ghost guns” pose a problem for law enforcement after a crime has been committed. These weapons are devoid of serial numbers or other identifying markings that enable them to be tracked to their maker, seller, or original owner. Despite their frequent use in mass shootings, shootouts with police, and other crimes, ghost guns remain legal in the U.S. and can be made without a background check.
But wait, there’s more. Well, four more points, to be exact, but it’s this one so many people have ignored thus far. The Trace wants firearms accessories redefined based on their potential use rather than their design.
In the past, the ATF has taken a lax approach, a Center for American Progress report found, deferring to manufacturers’ stated descriptions of firearms and accessories for determining if they qualify for NFA restrictions. The Trace has reported on the proliferation of barely legal accessories like pistol braces, which can effectively turn a handgun into a short-barreled rifle, and models like the Shockwave shotgun, which narrowly eludes the definition of a short-barreled shotgun.
Reviewing firearms and components on the basis of their potential uses instead of their stated purpose of the manufacturer would be a start. As would making the process more transparent by publicly releasing determinations instead of sending them directly to manufacturers. “That’s something incoming leadership at ATF should really take a strong look at, because you see the industry really innovating to evade the NFA,” Parsons said.
This isn’t exactly a surprise. As of late the anti-gun side of the aisle has been a great deal more blunt, making it quite clear that they really are coming to take your guns. Check out the rest of the article here for more, if you can stomach it.
What do you think? What’s likely waiting for us in the very near future as gun owners?