President Joe Biden on Thursday signed several measures to tighten gun control, urging the U.S. Congress to take bold action on what he called an “epidemic” of gun violence in America. The executive actions, which Biden said will make it harder for people who should not have access to firearms to buy them, include more stringent background checks and closing loopholes in existing laws.
“The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation,” Biden said. “We can and must do more to act and to save lives.”
Biden also called on Congress to pass legislation to close existing loopholes in federal firearms laws and to create a grant program to allow states to pass “red flag” laws, which allow courts to order the temporary removal of firearms from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue that will save lives. America is begging for action. We must act. Congress should do something big.”