President Joe Biden campaigned on promises to repeal many of his predecessor’s policies and has entered office with clear evidence that he intends to follow through on as many of those plans as possible.
Judging from recent comments from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, the president might be willing to act on Second Amendment-related rollbacks with or without support from the legislative branch.
“He’s not afraid of standing up to the NRA”
According to the Daily Wire, she responded to a related question by one reporter during Tuesday’s press conference.
“What is your timetable for action on what the president calls commonsense measures?” the reporter asked. “And what’s the realistic hope that you have this will pass both houses?”
Psaki replied that it would be difficult for her to “make a prediction about its likelihood of passing” since the Biden administration has yet to even put forward a legislative package for lawmakers to consider.
“But, I will say that this president is somebody throughout his career who has advocated for smart gun-safety measures,” she added. “He’s not afraid of standing up to the NRA. He’s done it multiple times and won on background checks and a range of issues.”
According to the spokeswoman, further efforts in that regard remain “a priority to him on a personal level,” but declined to offer details about “a timeline of a package” or what it might include when it is complete.
“As much as he can with executive orders”
Psaki later fielded a query about the potential that Biden would use an executive order to impose new gun-control measures.
She stated that the president “has a range of actions at his disposal” and “hasn’t ruled out either of those options.”
The latest remarks have sparked sharp criticism from pro-gun advocates, including Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb.
“I think that President Biden will try to get away with as much as he can with executive orders,” he said, predicting that such action would involve tightening existing regulations “beyond the scope of what Congress has given him the authority to do.
Gottlieb went on to opine that his organization expects Biden to focus his executive orders on “anything with foreign commerce — if the firearm is being imported in or magazine or ammo is being imported in.”
The post Biden aide signals he could take action on gun control even without congressional support first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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