Biden plans new steps to combat U.S. gun violence as violent crime
climbs
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[June 23, 2021]
By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden
plans to unveil new steps to curtail U.S. gun violence on Wednesday,
including measures aimed at stemming the flow of firearms used in
crimes, after pledging to push for sweeping changes to firearms laws.
The actions will build on executive orders signed in April, when Biden
asked the Justice Department to crack down on self-assembled "ghost
guns," senior administration officials said.
Biden also plans new steps to hold rogue firearms dealers
accountable for violating federal laws, help states employ more police
officers using funds approved earlier this year to help the economy
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthen efforts by the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to stop illegal gun
trafficking across states.
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Homicides rose 30%, and gun assaults rose 8% in large cities in 2020,
the White House said.
Executive orders allow the president to act without waiting on Congress,
where Democrats hold only a razor-thin majority and Republicans
generally oppose new limits on firearms. Gun rights, which are protected
by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution are one of thorniest
issues in American politics.
Biden will also meet on Wednesday with state leaders,
mayors, a police chief and other experts to discuss ways to make
communities around the country safer.
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Joe Biden walks past solar panels while touring the Plymouth Area
Renewable Energy Initiative in Plymouth, New Hampshire, U.S., June
4, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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His moves come amid a growing impatience from gun-control activists
that the administration has not acted more quickly to combat gun
violence. Biden promised during his campaign that he would take
action against gun violence on the first day of his administration
but had so far only announced limited measures to deal with a
problem he has called an "epidemic."
"The secondary consequences of the pandemic and the proliferation of
illegal guns have led to increased violence over the past year and a
half," a senior administration official said.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose; Editing by Scott Malone and Michael
Perry)
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