US President Joe Biden issued a new executive order Tuesday to curb gun violence by increasing the number of background checks for arms sales, in addition to other actions.
The announcement came as the president was visiting a predominantly Asian American city in southern California just outside of Los Angeles that was upended by a mass shooting earlier this year as revelers celebrated Lunar New Year.
In all, 11 people died, many of them elderly, and nine others were injured when a gunman entered a dance hall in Monterey Park on Jan. 22 and opened fire. The shooter, Huu Can Tran, 72, later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his vehicle during a standoff with law enforcement.
Addressing the community, Biden commemorated "one of the worst mass shootings in California history," calling it "a tragedy that has pierced the soul of this nation here in Monterey Park."
"I'm here with you today to act," he said. "I'm announcing another executive order that will accelerate and intensify this work to save more lives more quickly."
The president's new order seeks to "keep more guns out of dangerous hands by increasing the effective use of 'red flag' laws, strengthen efforts to hold the gun industry accountable, and accelerate law enforcement efforts to identify and apprehend the shooters menacing our communities," the White House said in a statement.
It specifically will increase the number of background checks required for the purchase of a firearm to move the US as close as possible to universal background checks without new legislation from Congress, which is unlikely to pass such a law with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives.
Increasing the use of what are known as "red flag" laws will help authorities to temporarily seize guns from an individual deemed to be dangerous and also clamp down on the number of firearms reported as lost during shipment from manufacturers to dealers.
That number has grown dramatically from 1,700 guns in 2018 to more than 6,100 in 2022, according to the White House.
Biden's action further directs his Cabinet to report on how the federal government can better assist communities affected by gun violence and asks the Federal Trade Commission to study and report on how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors.
Source: Anadolu Agency