The White House is geared up for executive action on universal background checks, which was begun in March. The new regulations would greatly expand the categories of gun sellers required to fall in line with background check requirements and federal licenses.
Aides said to look for a large event in which the president rolls out his new measures.
Observers on both sides of gun rights believe Biden will stretch his executive power as far as it will reach without enacting new legislation through Congress.
White House approval of the new measures is expected soon, though the official announcement may come later in the fall.
Reportedly, the new definition of a gun dealer will be anyone who sells a firearm and makes a profit. The question is, exactly how will making a “profit” be determined?
The harsh reality of inflation in 2023 means that prices are steadily increasing, so a firearm purchased a year ago is likely worth more now. Is selling it for $100 more than you paid for it considered making a profit in inflationary times?
And if there is an increase, is all of it due to increased costs? This coming unilateral action by the White House opens the door for arbitrary decisions that are not likely to favor the average citizen.
The definition of profit will be key.
That definition, unfortunately, will almost certainly be left up to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to decide. Anyone paying attention knows the harsh way the agency now deals with small firearms dealers. Can it be expected to suddenly become understanding under the new executive orders?
Yet more saber-rattling is coming from the White House through Vice President Kamala Harris. Speaking to an anti-gun gathering in Chicago last week, she began by proclaiming the debunked myth that “gun violence is the leading cause of death of the children of America.”
As widely noted, statistics were intentionally skewed by inserting 18- and 19-year-old adults into the pool. These are not children, and without their addition the leading cause of death for U.S. minors remains the same — automobile accidents.
Harris then called gun violence a “form of disease.” Then she alluded to the point of categorizing violent crime as a medical malady.
The goal of many anti-gun zealots is to label criminal acts as a public health crisis. First, it rids the perpetrators of responsibility for crimes they commit. After all, being sick isn’t something that a person normally receives blame for, right?
This is a patently false argument that ignores the reality of crime demanding to be addressed by law enforcement and the judicial system. As the National Shooting Sports Foundation noted, “No vaccine will be discovered. No pill will be developed. And more importantly, no solutions will be identified.”
No matter what side of the political aisle a gun rights advocate is on, few are eagerly anticipating the election coming next year. It will be raucous and contentious and will highlight divisions in a nation that need to be united.
It will apparently also revolve greatly around the explosive gun rights issue. Already, political leaders are lining up targets in anticipation of making their points.
But no matter the rhetoric, no matter the talking points, one thing remains clear.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of law-abiding U.S. citizens to keep and bear arms. Whoever wins next year’s election will take an oath to uphold that sacred document and the liberties enshrined within.
Gun rights are not a bargaining chip, and they are not for sale.
