In his 2020 campaign, President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of gun control. In 2022, he achieved a rare bipartisan success by securing the passage of a gun bill through Congress.
However, President Biden and his fellow Democrats remained unsatisfied, advocating for additional gun control measures. Following a recent Senate failure to pass a law, the president intervened, urging states to take action instead.
On December 6, Senate Republicans thwarted an attempt by Democrats to enact universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. This initiative from the Left occurred approximately a week prior to December 14, marking the 11th anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The devastating incident resulted in the loss of 20 first graders, six school employees, and the mother of the perpetrator.
Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) opposed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) call for unanimous consent to implement a ban on semiautomatic rifles. The conservative senator contended that Democrats sought to prohibit these rifles based on their appearance rather than their function.
He clarified that the Second Amendment bestows upon Americans the right to own firearms, emphasizing that individuals in his state responsibly exercise this right on a daily basis.
Rather than acknowledging the Senate’s decision, the administration of President Joe Biden adopted an alternative strategy. On December 13, Vice President Kamala Harris introduced an initiative aimed at assisting states in enacting bans on assault weapons, establishing local programs to address and prevent gun violence, and advocating for universal background checks.
At an event hosted at the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the measure in the presence of one hundred state legislators representing 39 states. During the announcement, Harris asserted that the administration was championing what they consider to be reasonable and just in their efforts.
Addressing the audience, Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her support for the Second Amendment, highlighting its inclusion in the Constitution to which she took an oath to defend. However, in a contradictory statement following that, she also conveyed her endorsement of an assault weapons ban and red flag laws.
Even as the Biden administration advocates for an assault weapons ban, a federal judge has already deemed California’s law prohibiting such weapons as unconstitutional. In October, US District Judge Roger Benitez issued a ruling, arguing that the ban should be discarded in light of the Supreme Court decisions in DC v Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v Bruen, both of which expanded gun rights.
Despite this legal setback, the Biden administration persists in advancing its plan to bypass Congress and directly approach the states with its agenda.
