Washington, DC: A few weeks before the end of his term, US President Joe Biden issued a new executive order to address the issue of gun violence in the country through New Gun Control Law.
“Join Vice President Kamala Harris and me as we speak on tackling the problem of gun violence in America”.
Biden posted on his official X account (formerly Twitter).
“To end the problem of gun violence in America, we first need to talk about the issue of guns in the country.
The leading cause of death for children in America is gun violence—surpassing diseases or accidents,” he stated.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Biden remarked.
Earlier in the day, President Biden posted on his official X account:
“Today, I’ll sign an executive order to crack down on emerging firearm threats like unserialized, 3D-printed guns and machine gun conversion devices.”
He further added, “This order will also direct my Cabinet to improve school-based active shooter drills, as we must do better.”
America’s Gun Violence Problem: New Gun Control Law
The US has a serious gun violence problem, particularly with the increasing number of shootings in schools and universities.
Research conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 4,752 children died from gun-related injuries in 2021 alone.
The numbers were 4,368 in 2020 and 3,390 in 2019.
Since 2020, gun violence has been the leading cause of child deaths in the United States.
The study revealed that 67% of these cases involved Black children, while 78% of suicides were among white children.
In the past two weeks, at least four people were killed in a school shooting in Georgia.
The investigation revealed that the shooter was just 14 years old.
President Biden’s New Gun Control Law Executive Order
In 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris was assigned the responsibility of overseeing gun legislation and curbing gun violence in America.
It is particularly focusing on preventing the use of firearms in educational institutions.
Now, six weeks before the 2024 US Presidential elections, President Biden has decided to issue an executive order—the highest form of authority in the US—to regulate the use of guns and prevent school shootings.
The order’s first section focuses on “emerging firearm threats,” specifically targeting machine gun conversion devices and unlicensed 3D-printed guns.
They are very challenging to detect even by security scanners.
The executive order directs various government departments to work together and create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
This helps to conduct regular active shooter drills in schools and other vulnerable locations.
An Earlier Appeal from the President
Earlier this month, President Biden called for a complete ban on assault weapons, urging Congress to take strong action for gun control in the country.
He reached out to Republican leaders, asking them to “finally say enough is enough” and stressed that this step.
While it may not reverse past tragedies, but would help save lives going forward.
Biden also suggested stronger checks on arms and ammunition sales, calling for detailed background verifications.
He proposed holding parents accountable if they allow their children access to weapons and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers.
Recent School Shootings
The recent shooting in Georgia was one of many in the US in recent years, including tragic incidents in Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, Newtown, and Uvalde, Texas.
As of now, there have been at least 385 mass shootings in the US in 2024 alone, as per data from the Gun Violence Archive.
They classify mass shootings as incidents involving four or more victims, indicating an average of more than 1.5 such incidents daily in the United States.
