Welcome to a weekly series here on Pew Pew Tactical dedicated to the gun news you need to know.
So, keep reading for this week’s notable news headlines…
White House Unveils New Executive Order
This week, the White House dropped a new executive order targeting 3D-printed gun and machine gun conversion parts.
President Joe Biden, alongside Vice President and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, unveiled the new executive order in an attempt to address gun violence.
The Executive Order, appearing a year after the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, addresses several issues the Biden-Harris Administration says are causing a rise in gun violence.
Among the measures is the creation of a federal agency that would address so-called emerging threats. The Emerging Threats Task Force would focus its energy on assessing and reporting on emerging technology, parts, etc., which it perceives as dangerous to public health.
The EO also targets conversion devices and unserialized 3D-printed guns. Machinegun conversion devices are already illegal, but the ATF says they’re seeing a rise — collecting over 5,400 machinegun conversion devices from 2017 to 2021.
“Machinegun conversion devices are illegal to possess under federal law, but we continue to see these devices show up at crime scenes because they are small, cheap, and easy to install,” a press release from the White House said.
3D-printed guns are also in the White House’s sights.
“Some 3D-printed firearms can be made to be undetectable by magnetometers used to secure airports, courthouses, and event spaces, even though these undetectable firearms are illegal to make, sell, or possess under federal law,” the White House said.
“As 3D-printing technology continues to develop rapidly, the safety threat posed by 3D-printed firearms may suddenly increase.”
Other measures announced include $85 million in funding for community violence intervention programs, Medicaid reimbursement for those intervention programs, enhanced background checks, expanded red flag laws, and increasing data collection on “ghost guns” and firearms trafficking.
The Executive Order also provides direction for schools in an attempt to improve school-based active drills with guidance on trauma-reducing drills that are age-appropriate. Biden has directed the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Homeland Security, alongside the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Surgeon General, to create and publish a plan for K-12 schools regarding active shooter drills within 110 days.
That plan must include direction on how to prevent trauma/psychological distress associated with active shooter drills, how to best communicate with students and families, and how to address the needs of students with language barriers and disabilities.
Finally, the EO also calls attention to firearm suicide prevention, promoting voluntary out-of-home firearm storage to deter suicides.
“We’re experiencing an epidemic of gun violence,” Harris, who appeared alongside Biden at the event, said. “People of America have a right to live, work, worship, and learn without fear of violence, including gun violence.”
Harris and Biden have both made guns a primary focus of their administration, with Harris promising to continue efforts to push Congress to act if elected to the Presidency in November.
California Sees Dozen New Gun Bills Signed Into Law
California saw a wave of gun bills signed into law this week after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed over a dozen new ones.
Labeled a “bipartisan legislative package,” the 13 new gun bills tackle everything from enhanced red flag laws to storage requirements.
The bills look to reduce gun violence in the state and prevent mass shootings, according to Newsom’s office.
“California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act. In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws,” Newsom said in a press release.
“Data shows that California’s gun safety laws are effective in preventing gun-related deaths — which makes the ongoing inaction and obstruction by politicians in the pocket of the gun lobby even more reprehensible.”
Measures include:
- Codifying the Office of Gun Violence Prevention
- Creating a presumption that openly carrying a firearm (real or fake) near election-related activities is engaging in “prohibited intimidation”
- Allowing for unlawfully carried guns to be subject to forfeiture and destruction
- Requiring law enforcement agencies that contract with third parties during gun buybacks to destroy firearms so no parts can be sold at a later date
- Expanding red flag laws to allow courts to issue seizure orders easily and allow for gun and ammo surrender procedures for those under red flag orders
- Adding additional guidelines to the California Roster of Handguns
- Requiring mandatory gun storage
- Making it a felony for an adult to “illegally transfer” a centerfire semi-auto rifle to a minor
- Removing gun rights from those convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty crimes
- Requires detailed reporting of state inspects of FFLs and ammo retailers
- Banning ammunition for anyone subject to mental illness-related gun restrictions
- Mandating that guns confiscated, abandoned, or those that remain unclaimed or surrendered to police be destroyed by “smelting, shredding, crushing, or cutting all parts of the firearm, including any attachments”
Eleven out of the total 24 proposed bills were supported by GOP legislators, with the majority of those coming from measures like expanded school safety measures and increased law enforcement training.
NSSF Releases 2024 Congressional Report Card
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry’s trade association, issued its annual Congressional Report Card rating U.S. Senators and Representatives on crucial legislation impacting the firearms industry and gun owners.
Grading sitting lawmakers from A+ to F, ratings are analyzed based on a combination of critical votes and members’ leadership, committee activity, floor statements, etc., during the 118th Congress.
The NSSF awarded 29 Senators and 123 House Members with a rating of A+, while 8 Senators and 245 Representatives were named to the Dean’s List. Dean’s List members represent those with a 100% voting and co-sponsorship record.
The NSSF said the grading system is meant to help voters easily see where elected officials stand on gun issues, but it is not an endorsement from the organization. Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel, emphasized that the report is a nonpartisan effort.
“This report card will be critical for voters to do their research as we head into the final stretch towards the November elections just six weeks from now. NSSF’s 2024 Congressional Report Card tells voters exactly where their lawmakers stand on issues including defending the firearm industry’s ability to engage in the lawful commerce of firearms and ammunition and safeguarding the Second Amendment rights of customers, as well as promoting hunting and recreational target shooting – America’s greatest outdoor pastimes,” Keane said in an email.
You can view the entire report here.
2 Leave a Reply
What!? Are you a bot that needs to have an AI update?
"Public Health" is not in any way covered by the Second Amendment. Anti Second Amendment politicians confuse the issue when they claim that "gun violence" is a public health issue. They then misapply laws allowing them to declare an emergency for a health crisis, with the intention of blocking or removing our Second Amendment rights.
Schools should teach students how to safely unload a firearm, with the intention of equipping them if they ever find a gun.
I am leery of any "task force" created by an administration that brags about how they will take away our guns.