US President Biden Orders Gun Restrictions Amid Fresh Shootings
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Saying there have been “enough prayers” and it was “time for some action,” U.S. President Joe Biden announced gun restrictions, words that were overshadowed by deadly shootings in Texas.
“They’ve offered plenty of thoughts and prayers, members of Congress. But they’ve passed not a single new federal law to reduce gun violence,” he said. “Enough prayers; time for some action,” Biden added about his executive orders to ban homemade guns.
His executive orders bypassing Congress direct the Department of Justice to tackle the spread of untraceable “ghost guns,” named this way as they are assembled at home.
He also wants “red-flag laws” allowing police or family members to ask courts to bar an individual from accessing firearms. Biden claimed such legislation would prevent suicides, protect women from domestic violence, and stop mass shooters before carrying out an attack.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who joined Biden in the White House Rose Garden, confirmed that the Justice Department would issue within 30 days a rule to close a regulatory loophole. That loophole allows “ghost guns,” which lack serial numbers, to be purchased without a background check, he suggested.
However, conservative commentators said Biden’s backing for “defunding police” measures underscore the need for innocent Americans to have guns to defend their families. Biden also stressed he wants additional actions, including reinstating a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
TEXAS SHOOTINGS
The president’s orders came as the U.S. state of Texas was plunged into mourning after one person was killed and five injured in a shooting Thursday afternoon, officials said. The attack rocked a cabinet-making business in Bryan, a town of about 87,000 near Texas A&M University in College Station, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Houston.
A state trooper was later shot during a manhunt that resulted in the suspected shooter being taken into custody, police said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott offered prayers for shooting victims and their families. “I have been working closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers as they assist local law enforcement on a swift response to this criminal act. Their efforts led to the arrest of the shooting suspect.”
On Wednesday, former professional football player Phillip Adams shot and killed a prominent South Carolina doctor, his wife, two grandchildren, and another man, police said. He then took his own life at his home a short distance away, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The victims were identified as Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70; his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69; grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9; and Noah Lesslie, 5; and worker James Lewis, 38.
The family members were found in their home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Charlotte, North Carolina, investigators said.
MORE BLOODSHED
This week’s bloodshed follows a half-dozen deadly mass shootings across the United States since mid-March. Among the attacks, rampages killed eight people at Atlanta-area spas, 10 people at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and four people, including a 9-year-old boy in Orange, California.
“We should also eliminate gun manufacturers from the immunity they receive from the Congress,” Biden said about the violence. “If I get one thing on my list, Lord came down and said, ‘Joe, you get one of these,’ give me that one.”
Critics argue that Biden’s policies infringe on constitutional rights and make it more difficult for Americans to defend themselves in an increasingly violent society lacking enough police.
“The right to keep and bear arms is fundamental for preserving our liberty,” said Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican. “The answer is not to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens; the answer is to go after violent criminals and come down on them like a ton of bricks.”
Anticipating this argument, Biden insisted that his moves are constitutional. “The idea is just bizarre to suggest that some of the things we’re recommending are contrary to the Constitution.”
Biden also claimed that gun violence in this country is an epidemic,” during his remarks in the White House Rose Garden, calling it an “international embarrassment.”
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