Biden, decrying gun violence near massacre site, signs executive order
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — President Biden on Tuesday visited this community, which is still in mourning from the mass killing of 11 people earlier this year, to announce an executive order increasing the number of background checks for gun sales, though he acknowledged the action falls short of what action by Congress could achieve.
In this largely Asian suburb of Los Angeles, where a day of jubilation to celebrate the Lunar New Year in January turned to anguish and terror as a shooter opened fire inside a dance studio, Biden attempted to draw renewed attention to the pain inflicted on communities that experience spasms of violence.
“Enough. Do something,” Biden told a crowd of about 200 at the West San Gabriel Valley Boys and Girls Club. “I’m here with you today to act.”
In addition to the background checks, Biden’s executive order directs his Cabinet to develop a proposal on how the federal government can better assist communities after a mass shooting, aiming to mobilize resources for human-caused disasters in the way that Washington already does for natural disasters.
Biden is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report that would analyze how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors.
Together, the actions amount to the president’s latest attempt to use his executive authority to crack down on gun violence, efforts that necessarily are narrower in scope than measures urged by gun control activists that would require congressional approval. While Biden’s aides acknowledge the constraints imposed by the U.S. Constitution and the current congressional reality, he is hoping to reignite a debate around mass shootings and the country’s struggles to come up with a response.
Biden’s appearance also marked the latest turn in what increasingly looks like an all-but-certain reelection bid. The visit to Monterey Park came during a three-day West Coast swing that is featuring a signature foreign policy accomplishment, fundraisers at glitzy locations and an appearance in Las Vegas on Wednesday to discuss prescription drug prices.
On Monday night, Biden spoke at a home estimated to be worth more than $8 million in Rancho Santa Fe, north of San Diego, raising some $1 million from about 40 attendees. On Tuesday night, he was scheduled to host another fundraiser in Las Vegas.
And while his efforts on gun control are not likely to introduce the sweeping change that many Democrats want on the issue, Biden is sure to continue using it as an electoral rallying cry.
He has continued to call for an assault weapons ban, background checks on all gun sales and the repeal of gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. But those kinds of bills are unlikely to pass Congress, particularly with Republicans in control of the House and Democrats holding a narrow Senate majority.
Biden said. “I am determined, once again, to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”