According to the White House, President Joe Biden is going to declare an executive order aimed at cracking down on gun sellers who break the law and moving the US closer to universal background checks. While most Americans support background checks, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is unlikely to pass legislation, leaving Joe Biden to act through executive order.
The president will also seek to clarify the definition of who is engaged in the business of dealing firearms, and release records from inspections of firearms dealers cited for breaking laws. Additionally, he will focus on boosting public awareness of “red-flag” laws, and federal support for gun violence survivors and their families.
Furthermore, the president will aim to enhance the assistance provided by the federal government to those affected by gun violence, including survivors, victims, and their families. The White House highlighted in a statement that just as the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides aid to communities impacted by hurricanes, similar support should be available to those impacted by gun violence.
But when a mass shooting does so, “no coordinated US government mechanism exists to meet short- and long-term needs, such as mental health care for grief and trauma, financial assistance (for example, when a family loses the sole breadwinner or when a small business is shut down due to a lengthy shooting investigation), and food (for example, when the Buffalo shooting closed down the only grocery store in the neighborhood)”.
