President Biden on Tuesday unveiled an executive order (EO) that will broaden the definition of a firearms dealer and expand background checks to cover more firearm sales.

Biden announced the executive order during a visit to Monterey Park, California, where he met with families and community members affected by the January mass killing that claimed 11 lives and injured nine others.

According to the White House, this order will help bring the country closer to achieving universal background checks without the need for additional legislation.

It’s time for Congress to ban assault weapons – we did it in 1994, and shootings dropped. After Republicans in Congress let it expire – mass shootings tripled.

Today, I’m signing an Executive Order to fight gun violence, but Congress must act.

Enough is enough.

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 14, 2023

“President Biden continues to deliver meaningful action to save lives from gun violence,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica.

“Our grassroots army helped pass the first federal gun safety law in a generation and we’re now proud to support this Administration fully implementing the law and using every tool in their disposal to keep our families and communities safe,” she added.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association, takes exception with President Biden’s executive order stating that in the name of “doing something,” the Biden administration is chilling fundamental Constitutional rights and simply rehashing existing laws, many of which were previously supported by the firearm industry.

“The Biden administration should demand that soft-on-crime prosecutors and lawmakers use the laws already in existence to lock up criminals that misuse firearms to prey on innocent Americans,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

SEE ALSO: Why George Soros Is Responsible for the Largest Spike in Murder in American History 

“Instead, this administration continues to scapegoat the firearm industry for its unwillingness to address crime.,” he continued. “The failure of this administration to seriously address spiraling crime and instead focus its attacks on a Constitutionally-protected industry that works diligently to remain in compliance with laws and regulations and actively cooperates with law enforcement, especially ATF, exposes the lack of urgency Americans demand to curb rampant and out-of-control crime.”

The executive order will also direct Attorney General Merrick Garland to develop and put in place a comprehensive plan to prevent former federally licensed firearms dealers, whose licenses have been revoked or surrendered, from continuing to engage in the business of dealing in firearms.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the firearm industry already worked with Congress to update the statutory definition of “in the business,” in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed last year and signed into law by President Biden. The update defined those Americans “in the business” of selling firearms as those “predominantly earning a profit.”

The executive order will also aim to enhance public awareness of extreme protection orders, such as “red flag” laws, and safe storage of firearms, and promote their effective use through collaboration with law enforcement, health care providers, educators, and other community leaders. 

📢 NRA Statement on Biden’s Executive Order

Crimes are committed by criminals. Until President Biden and his allies decide to go after violent criminals, violence will continue to spiral out of control as it has. The focus of our laws and efforts should be on the criminal… https://t.co/nrP3aoagEx

— NRA (@NRA) March 14, 2023

Additionally, the executive order will instruct the secretary of transportation to collaborate with the Department of Justice to develop strategies to minimize the loss or theft of firearms during shipment, even though the firearm industry has already been consistently addressing compliance with federal regulations to report the loss or theft of firearms during shipping.

According to the White House, the executive order will hold the gun industry accountable by giving the public and policyholders “more information regarding federally licensed firearms dealers who are violating the law.” It directs the attorney general to make public the records of the ATF’s inspections of firearms dealers that have been cited for violating federal firearm laws. 

The NSSF rejected the Biden administration’s attempt to weaponize the “zero tolerance” policy of revoking federal firearms licenses for minor clerical errors by compounding that ill-conceived policy to expand it to a “name-and-shame” effort. Firearm retailers are the front line for ensuring firearms are sold only to those legally able to purchase them and “zero-tolerance” risks the cooperative relationship between firearm retailers and the ATF. 

SEE ALSO: Biden Signs Bipartisan ‘Safer Communities Act’ with Help from These 15 GOP Senators

This weaponization of the ATF would codify the Biden administration’s efforts to transform the ATF from a law enforcement and regulatory agency to one that is a political arm of an anti-gun administration.

The EO also enhances background checks for gun buyers under 21, adds penalties for some gun criminals and provides funding for a variety of health and mental health-related programs. It also addresses closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole,” which is a gap in federal law that means spousal domestic abusers can have gun rights taken away but not unmarried ones.

“The president is going to continue to fight for common sense gun safety legislation, and there are all sorts of pieces of legislation we need,” said a senior administration official. “But in the meantime, [the president] wants the federal government to be doing all we can with existing authority to reduce gun violence. And that is what this executive order does.”

Does this order reduce gun violence, or is this just another order made in the name of “doing something” to strip law-abiding citizens of their fundamental Constitutional rights?

*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! All Local Sales are FREE! ***