INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — There is mixed reaction when it comes to President Joe Biden’s executive order on guns.
Greg Burge, the owner of the Beech Grove Firearms firing range and gun shop, said Tuesday that the order was a continuation of government overreach when it comes to Second Amendment rights.
“It’s a solution searching for a problem, and just compounding for laws already on the books. The government wants to be involved in every facet of the firearms transaction and, in my opinion, this is nothing more than a backdoor universal background check.”
The order directs the U.S. attorney general, Merrick Garland, to make a plan to “clarify the definition of who is engaged in the business of dealing in firearms, and thus required to become Federal firearms licensees (FFLs).”
The expansion of gun control was being celebrated by safety advocates because it would require additional sellers to perform background checks on people who want to buy guns.
John Feinblatt, president of the New York-based nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, said Tuesday in a statement that “we’re proud to stand with him as he takes robust action to help close the gun seller loophole — which will significantly expand background checks on gun sales, keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, and save lives.”
Burge said the order limits who can sell firearms without being a licensed shop. “I’ll be real shocked if Garland’s response isn’t anybody who sells a firearm for profit regardless that constitutes dealing.”
Everytown for Gun Safety believes making it clear that anyone selling a gun at a show or from any type of ad is “engaging in the business of selling a gun” will require them to become federal firearms licensees, and background checks will become necessary.
The organization’s statement said in part, “This clarification would accomplish the President’s goal, be legally permissible, and tackle the commercial marketplaces that are the source of firearms for felons, domestic abusers and gun traffickers that are seeking to avoid background checks.”
The attorney general and other officials tasked with implementing this executive order have 60 days to come up with a plan.
The White House posted the order on its website.
Previous coverage
- Biden on gun control: ‘Do something, do something big’
- US Sen. Young: Congress should decide any new gun policies
As reported by WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic