President Joe Biden expects to issue more executive actions on firearms, the White House said moments after he announced half a dozen orders aimed at curbing gun violence.
“The president is not going to wait for Congress to act to take additional executive actions — this is the beginning,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “He will continue to have his team review, both from a policy and a legal standpoint, additional executive actions that are possible to take.”
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Spurred by recent mass shootings, Biden announced a slew of new orders targeting untraceable firearms; legislation to allow a court to remove a gun temporarily from someone’s possession; stabilizing braces enabling pistols to be converted into short-barreled rifles; and investments in community violence intervention programs.
Psaki said Biden would still pursue a legislative strategy as a means of instituting “permanent, long-term measures.”
“But he’s not going to wait,” she added. “He can move on both levers at the same time.”
Biden is eager to find “lasting” solutions that won’t be quickly unwound, Vice President Kamala Harris said in a recent interview.
Biden has urged Congress to act on bills targeting assault rifles and boosting background checks but has not introduced legislation of his own.
The newly announced orders were informed by discussions with gun control advocates, some of whom attended the Rose Garden event, Psaki said.
“These are people who are absolute heroes on getting gun safety measures in place,” Psaki said. “They have led the effort when there was no appetite in Washington and none at the federal level to move forward.”
The president also said Thursday that he would nominate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives a prominent gun control advocate, David Chipman.
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A 25-year veteran of the bureau, Chipman likely faces a difficult path to confirmation in the Senate, in part due to his prior advocacy of an assault weapons ban.
The White House said it does not have a backup plan should Chipman’s nomination stall. The ATF has not confirmed a permanent appointee to lead the bureau since 2013.
