As expected, the president Joe Biden presented a set of implementing orders to limit access to firearms in a country still scandalous by the frequency of senseless massacres against the civilian population.
While the announced measures will have some impact, they fall short of the scale of the problem and the same promises that the president made during the presidential campaign.
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The most concrete measure announced by the president is one new restriction on the sale of gun stabilization devices so that it can be transformed into an assault rifle, like the one used by the man who murdered members of the Asian community last month in Atlanta
Likewise, he asked Justice develop a guide to prohibit the proliferation of “ghost weapons”, which can be built with different parts and do not have a serial number to allow traceability.
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Another order from the president calls for the development of a model that allows a family member or member of the public power asks a court to suspend the right to bear arms for a person considered dangerous. The model should be approved by every state and what it is looking for is that they can take action on the matter while the National Congress makes a decision on the matter.
The president took the time to appoint David Chipman as the new chief of the Bureau of Weapons, Alcohol and Tobacco, the office of the Justice Department responsible for these types of investigations. Chimpanzee will be important because he comes from working with groups dedicated to gun control and could channel many of his ideas.
And incidentally, he presented another idea with which aims to expand support for communities most affected by gun violence so that they can launch prevention and intervention campaigns.
The United States, Russia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Finland, and Switzerland are some of the countries that allow the legal possession of weapons by their citizens.
Biden’s ordersWhile laudable, they demonstrate two things. The first is that despite the power of the presidency, the president is very limited in the number of things he can move forward without. congressional approval.
The second is that he understands how contentious the issue is in a country where the second amendment – the the right to bear arms– is deeply rooted and does not want to spend a lot of political capital on something with little future.
During the campaign for President, and also over the years as Vice President between 2008 and 2016, Biden had pushed for two changes that would be huge.
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The ban on the sale of assault rifles – which existed in the past but expired in 2004 – and the universal background check as a prerequisite for acquiring weapons in the country.
Changes that became urgent in light of the recent massacres that have taken place in the country in recent weeks. In fact The same Wednesday, another was presented in South Carolina that killed 5 people, including a doctor and two minors.
Eight people were killed in a shooting at three massage parlors in Atlanta last month.
Both changes are part of two laws that have already been passed by the US House of Representatives but they are held back in the Senate, where the Democrats have a majority, but nowhere near the 60 votes needed to advance this kind of legislation. In fact, the Republicans’ opposition is almost total.
The only alternative is to use a highly controversial legislative maneuver that will only allow them to succeed with a simple majority. But To achieve this, they need at least 50 Democrats in the upper house to agreeBut there are already two, representing conservative-oriented states, who have already expressed their opposition to this vehicle to approve the projects.
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Biden also has two other big initiatives for Congress that are also controversial, but are higher on his list of priorities: the infrastructure reform and immigration, both with the potential to make big changes and mark your legacy.
Joe Biden, President of the United States.
liver Contreras / Sipa / Bloomberg
But in a Congress as narrowly divided as the present one, he will have to choose his battles because they cannot all be won. And although at least 57 percent of the population, according to a recent sample of Gallup, says they are more in favor controls on the sale of firearmsthe issue continues to divide the country and gets stuck in the legislature.
To put it in context, the last major arms reform dates back to 1994. Since then, many presidents have tried, but without luck. He didn’t even make it Barack Obama after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, when a man murdered 20 children under the age of six and six other adults.
We are pleased to hear that Biden’s announcements are just the beginning of a series of measures he plans to implement. But he also shows them the limits of his power. Congress, when it comes down to it, is the one who has the responsibility to do something that makes sense and has a long-term impact. I hope they actsays John Fienblatt of the Gun Safety Association.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter: @ sergom68
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