According to White House officials, The US President Joe Biden is expected to announce a series of executive orders on gun control on Thursday, as well as appoint a prominent gun control advocate to chair the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Following recent mass shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, and Orange county, California, Mr Biden has been pushed by Democrats and gun control activists to take immediate steps to address gun violence.
Mr Biden is expected to guide the Justice Department to issue regulations to limit the spread of “ghost guns” and to improve the enforcement of stabilizing braces. He would also propose that the Justice Department publish model “red flag” laws, which allow family members to petition courts to take firearms away from people who are deemed a threat, for states to adopt.
Ghost guns, which are mostly manufactured from parts purchased online, have no traceable serial numbers, while a stabilizing brace essentially converts a gun into a short-barreled rifle that is not subject to the same restrictions as a rifle of equivalent size. Last month, a stabilizing brace was used by the shooter in Boulder, Colorado.
Mr Biden will also order the Justice Department to conduct a study on gun trafficking, which hasn’t been done since 2000, to provide lawmakers with the knowledge they need to combat weapons trafficking.
The president will ask that more money be directed to community violence reduction programs by different agencies. Officials say the new laws are just the beginning, and the administration will work with Democrats in Congress to pass further gun control measures and pursue possible executive steps to curb gun violence.
Nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and gun control advocate, as ATF director could be another step toward more comprehensive gun control. The post has been vacant since 2015.
Although Mr Biden pledged during his election campaign to take a number of steps to tackle gun control, activists have been disappointed that it has not been a top priority for his administration, particularly in light of recent mass shootings.
