Biden, Harris throw out ultimatum pitting Second Amendment against gun violence prevention

WASHINGTON (CN) — President Joe Biden rebutted opposition to new firearm safety measures on Thursday at a signing event for new executive orders to combat gun violence.

“Never was the Second Amendment meant to be absolute,” Biden said. “Back when it was passed, you could not own a cannon.”

Speaking to an audience of gun violence survivors, their families and lawmakers and firearms safety advocates, Biden berated former President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers for comments suggesting that school shootings were “facts of life.” He then mocked individuals claiming firearms regulations were anti-Second Amendment.

“People [say] like the liberty of America is watered with the blood of patriots,” Biden mimicked. “Like hell!”

Biden framed his gun control efforts as pro-law enforcement, citing the administration’s efforts to fund public safety strategies. The president called for increased funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, noting that conservative lawmakers wanted to defund law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

“Folks, you can’t be pro-law enforcement and be anti-FBI and ATF,” Biden said.

Vice President Kamala Harris pushed a similar message, saying she was in favor of the Second Amendment and reinstating the assault weapons ban. Harris also called for universal background checks, safe storage laws and red flag laws.

“It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” Harris said.

Thursday’s orders form two task forces to tackle threats from emerging firearms technology and improve active shooter drills in schools. Last year, Biden created the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate federal gun safety efforts. Biden now wants agency heads to brainstorm new regulatory paths to address gun violence.

Biden also said he wants to drill down on the dangers of machine gun conversion devices and unserialized 3D-printed firearms.

Conversion devices, sometimes referred to as bump stocks, have become common in mass shootings — including a 2017 Las Vegas concert, where a gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle equipped with a bump stock fired over 1,000 bullets into a crowd, killing 58 and wounding over 850 others in only 11 minutes,

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down ATF’s bump stock ban in June. Biden’s executive order seeks alternative authorities to crack down on these weapons.

Similarly, the administration tried to crack down on unserialized firearms, sometimes called ghost guns, by implementing new rules forcing manufacturers to follow regulations for any other gun. That policy will undergo Supreme Court review next month.

Biden’s focus on improving active shooter drills at schools was met with praise from administrators, who said the task force’s work would be a step in the right direction.

“This guidance will help all educators conduct more effective and age-appropriate drills while minimizing potential trauma to students and staff and ensuring drills are modified to best support those with specific and special needs,” Michelle Kefford, a member of the Principal Recovery Network and principal of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said in a statement.

National Association of Secondary School Principals CEO Ronn Nozoe applauded the order but said more needed to be done to address gun violence in schools.

“We urge Congress to build on this momentum by investing in mental health resources and educator professional development to help prevent and heal from gun violence, which requires the commitment of a long-term investment,” Nozoe said in a statement. “A comprehensive approach is essential to create truly safe and supportive learning environments."

But, as Biden and Harris predicted, gun advocacy groups denounced the order, with the National Association for Gun Rights claiming, “Biden and Harris broke the law today.”

Dudley Brown, president of the group, said the administration planned to take guns away from Americans.

“Biden and Harris are further cementing their gun control legacy today by creating 135 million reasons for states to find more people to confiscate guns from,” Brown wrote in a statement. “$135 million more dollars, stolen from taxpayers, to fund more unconstitutional gun grabs using the cover of ‘Red Flag’ laws.”

Agency heads staffing the emerging firearm technology task force will submit a report on additional actions and funding needs in 90 days. Department officials heading the active shooter group will detail their findings early next year.

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