President Joe Biden will meet with the families and victims of the Monterey Park mass shooting while he’s in California on Tuesday, where he’s set to deliver remarks launching largely symbolic efforts to combat gun violence in the United States.
Although Biden has taken a number of actions before to curb gun violence, the president and his administration have publicly acknowledged that any further significant measures to address the issue will not be achieved without the approval of Congress. And legislative efforts have all but stalled in the face of Republican-controlled House and a nearly deadlocked Senate.
“Few policy ideas are more popular among the American people than universal background checks, but Congress refuses to act,” a senior administration official said on a call with reporters ahead of Biden’s visit to Monterey Park. “This move will mean fewer guns will be sold without background checks, and therefore fewer guns will end up in the hands of felons and domestic abusers.”
RELATED: As gun reform stalls, police prepare for the worst
In January, 11 people were killed and nine others were injured when a gunman opened fire at a dance studio in Monterey Park as the city’s large Asian American community was celebrating the Lunar New Year weekend. There have been at least 110 mass shootings in the US so far this year, leaving more than 150 people dead and 400 injured, according data compiled by the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive.
Biden on Tuesday will direct Attorney General Merrick Garland to ensure existing laws on background checks are being followed, according to the official.
The official said Biden would direct Garland to “clarify that statutory definition” of who is required to run background checks because some firearms dealers “may not realize that they fall under that statutory definition.”…
Read the full article here