GIFFORDS Applauds President Biden’s Historic Actions to Fight Gun Violence

On Tuesday, former Congresswoman and GIFFORDS founder Gabrielle Giffords and GIFFORDS Executive Director Peter Ambler released statements applauding President Joe Biden’s newly announced executive actions to reduce gun violence.

“Thank you, President Biden. For years, the American people have demanded leadership from Washington, and this White House has answered the call. More must be done, but there’s no telling how many lives will be saved thanks to the meaningful actions announced today.

“I want to recognize all the voters, survivors, advocates, and volunteers I’ve met throughout the years. The fight against gun violence is hard, but it’s not lonely. Today would not have happened without you. Thank you for always making your voices heard.”

“The fight for gun safety unites Americans across partisan lines. President Biden is taking critical action to expand background checks, implement extreme risk laws, ensure safe storage of firearms, hold the gun industry accountable, and build upon his landmark legislation, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. These policy priorities have been demonstrated to be effective, they are supported by huge majorities of Americans, and they balance our rights with our commitment to responsibility.

“This action would have been unthinkable when GIFFORDS began our work just 10 years ago. Today’s announcement, coming less than a year after enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, cements President Biden’s legacy as the first modern president to consistently and comprehensively take on the gun lobby. GIFFORDS is proud to stand with him today.”

GIFFORDS encourages the Attorney General to expeditiously act on and enforce today’s executive actions and will monitor their implementation alongside implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The BSCA took steps to expand the type of sales subject to background checks by making a minor change to the definition of who is considered “engaged in the business” of selling firearms. This new definition confirms Congress’s intent to ensure that those who make repetitive sales of firearms predominantly for earning profit must register as a federally licensed firearms dealer. In order to best carry out the intent of the BSCA and increase the frequency at which gun sales are subject to background checks, the attorney general should direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to issue a new rule clarifying that any person who sells or offers for sale five or more firearms for profit in any 12-month period is “engaged in the business” of selling firearms and qualifies as a gun dealer under federal law. Even before the BSCA amended the definition of who is considered a firearms dealer, GIFFORDS has long advocated for greater clarification of the law to ensure that background checks are conducted as often as possible.

Today’s announcement from President Biden reflects policies that GIFFORDS has long championed. Before President Biden took office, GIFFORDS and Center for American Progress published a comprehensive memo outlining policies that the Biden administration should pursue. These recommendations include: 

• Clarifying who qualifies as a firearms dealer, is considered “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, and must conduct background checks on prospective gun buyers
• Providing grant funding to implement extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), firearm relinquishment, and other laws specifically aimed at proactively preventing gun violence and homicides
• Improving inspection of federally licensed firearms dealers
• Increasing funding for the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) within ATF

Since the enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, GIFFORDS called on the Biden administration to thoroughly implement the law and outlined the steps necessary to ensure the law is as effective as possible.

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