Biden’s measures to limit weapons in the United States – USA – International

As he had anticipated, the president Joe Biden present this Thursday a set of executive orders seeking to limit access to firearms in a country that remains outraged by the frequency of senseless massacres against the civilian population.

However, while the announced measures will have some impact, they fall short given the magnitude of the problem and the same promises the president made during the presidential campaign.

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The most concrete measure announced by the president is one new restriction on the sale of devices that allow to stabilize a gun so it can turn into an assault rifle, like the one used by the man who killed members of the Asian community last month in Atlanta.

He also asked the Department of Justice develop a guide to prohibiting the proliferation of ghost weapons, which can be built using different parts and do not have a serial number that allows their tracking.

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Other orders from the president call for the development of a model that would allow a relative or member of the police force asking a court to suspend his right to bear arms to a person who is considered dangerous. The model should be approved by each state and what it seeks is for them to be able to take action on the matter while the National Congress makes a decision on this issue.

The president took the opportunity to announce the nomination of David Chipman as the new head of the Bureau for Arms, Alcohol and Tobacco, the agency of the Department of Justice that is in charge of this type of investigation. Chimpan will be important as he comes from working with weapons control groups and could channel many of his ideas.

And, by the way, he presented another idea with which aims to expand support to communities most affected by gun violence so they can launch prevention and intervention campaigns.

Biden’s orders, Despite praiseworthy, prove two things. The first is that despite the power of the presidency, the president is very limited in the amount of things he can move forward without the Congress support.

The second is that he understands how controversial the issue is in a country where the second amendment – the right to bear arms– is very entrenched and does not want to use much political capital in something with little future.

During the campaign for the presidency, and also over the years as vice president between 2008 and 2016, Biden had insisted on two changes that would be capitalized.

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The ban on the sale of assault rifles – which existed in the past but expired in 2004 – and the universal background check as a precondition for acquiring weapons in the country.

Changes that acquired urgency in light of the recent massacres that have been committed in the country in recent weeks. In fact this same Wednesday another one was presented in South Carolina in which 5 people died, Including a doctor and two minors.

Both changes are part of two laws that were already passed by the US House of Representatives. UU. but that they are stalled in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority but are not close to the 60 votes required to advance such legislation. In fact, Republican opposition is almost total.

The only alternative is to use a very controversial legislative maneuver that would allow them to pass with only a simple majority. But to achieve this they need at least the 50 Democrats in the Upper House to agree, But there are already two, presenting to conservative-oriented states, who have already expressed their opposition to this vehicle to approve the projects.

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Biden also has two other major initiatives before Congress that are also controversial but are higher on his list of priorities: the infrastructure reform and migration, Both with the potential to generate major changes and mark their legacy.

But in a Congress as closely divided as the present one he will have to choose his fights as he cannot win them all. And while at least 57 percent of the population, according to a recent Gallup sample, says they are in favor of more controls on the sale of firearms, The issue continues to divide the country and usually gets stuck in the legislature.

To put it in context, the last major arms reform dates back to 1994. Since then many presidents have tried but without luck. He didn’t even get it barack Obama after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 when a man murdered 20 children under the age of 6 and six adults.

“We’re glad to hear that Biden’s announcements are just the beginning of a series of measures he plans to push. But he also demonstrates with them the limits of his power. Congress, when it comes to the truth, is the one who bears the responsibility of doing something that is meaningful and has a long-term impact. We hope they act“, Says John Fienblatt, of the Association for Arms Security.

SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TEMPS correspondent
Washington
A twitter: @ sergom68

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