White House communications director Kate Bedingfield on Thursday said that President Biden would be the first to say forthcoming executive actions on guns are “not enough” as she pressed Congress to act on gun reform measures.
Bedingfield, speaking on CNN’s “New Day,” reiterated that the six actions Biden will take on Thursday will be initial steps in the White House’s effort to address gun violence and mass shootings, indicating more actions are to come.
“These are all really important steps that he can take within his authority as president, but he would be the first to say this is not enough and Congress needs to move forward, for example, on the bipartisan background check bills that are in front of them because the majority of the American people believe that we need sensible gun reform,” Bedingfield said.
Biden is announcing at an event later Thursday that the Justice Department will issue a series of proposed rules meant to restrict the proliferation of “ghost guns,” publish a model “red flag” law that could be adopted by states, and publish an annual report on firearms trafficking.
The Biden administration is also bolstering investments in community violence intervention programs, and Biden will nominate David Chipman, a gun safety advocate and veteran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to lead ATF.
Biden has been under growing pressure to unveil measures to address gun violence in the wake of two mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., that occurred within a week of one another in March.
In addition to planning executive orders, Biden has also encouraged Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and close loopholes in the background check system by approving two House-passed bills that have yet to be voted on in the Senate. Congress is slated to return to Washington next week, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has made clear that gun control will be on the agenda.
But it remains unclear whether any substantive gun safety measures can be passed, given the large partisan divides that exist on how to tackle the issue. Republicans have long been averse to passing significant gun control measures and such efforts have failed in the wake of other devastating mass shootings.