President Biden said on Monday that he will defer to Congress to pass new laws on gun regulation after two mass shootings shocked the nation in May.
“I can’t dictate this stuff,” he told reporters. “I can do the things I’ve done and any executive action I can take, I’ll continue to take. But I can’t outlaw a weapon. I can’t change a background check. I can’t do that.”
Led by Democratic senator Chris Murphy, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is currently negotiating legislation aimed at curbing gun violence. The group has floated a number of proposals including expanded background checks, enhanced school security, and red-flag laws that allow the confiscation of firearms from those deemed dangerous. Last week, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said he charged Republican Senator John Cornyn with negotiating with Democrats on behalf of the GOP, the Hill noted.
When asked whether he believed the group of ten senators would advance a bill, Biden said, “I don’t know.”
“McConnell is a rational Republican. Cornyn is as well,” the president said.
Both political parties have indicated a desire to take constructive action after an elementary-school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, last week left 19 children and two teachers dead. However, while Democrats have urged gun-control measures, such as an “assault weapons” ban, some Republicans have advocated for ramping up security in schools, such as by arming guards to patrol campus.
Given that the GOP has generally resisted red-flag laws on a federal level, Democrats have reportedly floated the idea of incentivizing states via grants to enact their own red-flag laws. When asked about the prospect of that potential compromise, Biden replied: “That’s hard to say because I have not been negotiating with any of the Republicans.”
Following the Uvalde tragedy, at a press conference commemorating the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Biden suggested that the path forward to end gun violence entails more gun control, even if it comes at the expense of the civil liberties of law-abiding gun owners.
“The Second Amendment is not absolute,” he said. “When it was passed you couldn’t own a cannon, you couldn’t own certain weapons.”
Vice President Kamala Harris echoed the president, adding, “Enough is enough. Enough is enough. We must pass reasonable gun-safety laws.”