Biden says gun violence is an epidemic, and calls for the national red flag law

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a series of executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence, while urging Congress to pass broader gun control legislation.

The bundle of actions, Biden’s first attempt as president to tackle the abusive politics surrounding guns in America, was unveiled following a recent spate of mass shootings across the country, including deadly attacks in Georgia and Colorado.

“It’s an epidemic, for God’s sake, and it needs to stop,” Biden said in a Rose Garden speech.

The purpose of the White House includes for the Department of Justice to draw up a rule to address the proliferation of untraceable “ghost guns” and to publish an example of “red flag” legislation that states can follow.

The red flag laws allow police or family members to request a court to ban an individual from accessing firearms. Biden also called for a federal red flag law, saying such legislation would prevent suicides, protect women from domestic violence and stop mass shooters before launching an attack.

Biden has announced that he will appoint former federal agent David Chipman as head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Boasting 25 years of experience as an ATF Special Agent, Chipman is a senior policy adviser to the Giffords Rifle Control Group.

Here’s what Biden’s actions will do according to the White House:

• Order the Department of Justice to propose a rule within thirty days to stop the spread of ghost weapons – firearms made up of kits that often do not have serial numbers and are difficult to detect.
• Commands the DOJ to draw up a rule within 60 days that clarifies the point at which a stabilizing armrest effectively turns a pistol into a short-range rifle, subjecting the firearm to additional regulations.
• Orders the DOJ to publish the model of the red flag legislation within 60 days, which allows law enforcement or family members to ask the court to temporarily ban someone from gaining access to weapons under certain circumstances. The White House says the model legislation will make it easier for states to pass on their own versions of the law.
• Order the DOJ to issue a comprehensive report on arms trade.

The government also aims to focus investments on “interventions of community violence”, which are methods of reducing gun violence in cities without involving people, the factsheet reads. Some metropolitan areas, such as New York City, are struggling with an increase in shootings and killings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden lamented in his speech on Thursday that gun violence had become an international embarrassment for the United States.

“Our flag was still waving at half the staff for the victims of the horrific killings of eight predominantly Asian people in Georgia, when ten more lives were taken during a massacre in Colorado,” Biden said.

He was speaking after an introduction by Vice President Kamala Harris, and his speech was followed by remarks by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The president stressed that the newly announced action was merely initial steps, and put pressure on federal lawmakers to implement weapons reform proposals already approved by the Democratic House.

“There is much more that Congress can do to help the effort, and they can do it right now,” Biden said.

“They offered many thoughts and prayers, members of Congress. But they did not pass a single new federal law to reduce gun violence,” he said.

“Enough prayers; time for some action.”

But Biden also said he was “willing to work with anyone to do that”, and expressed a desire to take additional action, including reinstating a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“We also need to eliminate gun manufacturers from the immunity they get from Congress,” Biden said. “If I get one thing on my list, Lord come down and say, ‘Joe, you get one of these, give me that one.’