Congressmen Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, and Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, released statements following President Joe Biden’s announcement on his executive actions on gun control.
Rogers said:
“Today President Biden made official what we’ve known for a while: Democrats are set on dismantling the Second Amendment. Biden’s use of Executive overreach started when he was Vice President, and it’s continuing today. From appointing anti-gun enthusiasts to ATF to trying to strip elderly Americans of their gun rights, the undermining of our Constitution by Democrats seems to have no end. Democrats love to use administrative proposals to reinterpret our law, which is what they’re planning to do now.
“As a proud gun owner, I will stand strong against universal gun registrations, universal background checks and any other anti-gun legislation liberal Democrats are trying to pass.”
Brooks said:
“Joe Biden and his Socialists’ allies want to destroy the Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms. Today at the White House, Joe Biden demonstrated his embarrassingly poor grasp of the Second Amendment and causes of gun violence in America. Gun owners are overwhelmingly law-abiding, safety conscious citizens who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment Rights. Yet, Biden seeks to bit-by-bit strip us of our rights.
“I am a firm believer and supporter of Second Amendment rights. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms may have done more to keep America free and democratic than any other provision in our Bill of Rights. I will fight all Socialist efforts to weaken our 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms. To do otherwise is to support the tyranny America’s Founding Fathers fought against. I take that stance for every American, for a free America, for the protection of my family, and for me, a proud gun owner.”
Biden announced the planned actions on Thursday, which include new planned federal policy surrounding ghost guns — handmade or self-assembled firearms without serial numbers that are untraceable — and stabilizing braces, which can turn a pistol into a short-barreled rifle. Biden is requiring that gun kits, which he called “ghost guns,” to be treated as complete guns and that the seller and manufacturers make the key parts with serial numbers and run background checks on the buyers when they walk in to buy that package. He’s also directing the Justice Department to create model “red flag” legislation that states can use.
“Today, we’re taking steps to confront not just the gun crisis, but what is actually a public health crisis,” Biden said in comments at the White House. “Nothing — nothing I’m about to recommend in any way impinges on the Second Amendment. They’re phony, arguments suggesting that these are Second Amendment rights at stake from what we’re talking about.”
Biden said:
“But no amendment — no amendment to the Constitution is absolute. You can’t yell crowd — you can’t tell [yell] ‘fire’ in a crowded movie theater and call it freedom of speech. From the very beginning, you couldn’t own any weapon you wanted to own. From the very beginning that the Second Amendment existed, certain people weren’t allowed to have weapons. So the idea is just bizarre to suggest that some of the things we’re recommending are contrary to the Constitution.
“I asked the Attorney General and his team to identify for me immediate, concrete actions I could can take now without having to go through the Congress. And today, I’m announcing several initial steps my administration is taking to curb this epidemic of gun violence.”
Biden also asked that Justice Department release a new annual report on what he called gun trafficking in order to “better help policymakers address firearms trafficking as it is today, not what it was yesterday,” adding:
“A third change: We want to treat pistols modified with stabilizing braces with the seriousness they deserve. A stabilizing brace — you’re going to (inaudible) — essentially, it makes that pistol a hell of a lot more accurate and a mini-rifle. As a result, it’s more lethal, effectively turning into a short-barreled rifle. That’s what the alleged shooter in Boulder appears to have done.
“I want to be clear that these modifications to firearms that make them more lethal should be subject to the National Firearms Act. The National Firearms Act requires that a potential owner pay a $200 fee and submit their name and other identifying information to the Justice Department, just as they would if they went out and purchased a silencer for a gun.”
“Fourthly, during my campaign for President, I wanted to make it easier for states to adopt extreme risk protection order laws. They’re also called ‘red flag’ laws, which everybody on this lawn knows, but many people listening do not know. These laws allow a police or family member to petition a court in their jurisdiction and say, ‘I want you to temporarily remove from the following people any firearm they may possess because they’re a danger. In a crisis, they’re presenting a danger to themselves and to others.’ And the court makes a ruling.
“I want to see a national red flag law and legislation to incentivize states to enact their own red flag laws. Today, I asked the Justice Department to publish a model red flag legislation so states can start crafting their own laws right now. Just like with background checks, the vast majority of Americans support these extreme risk protection order laws, and it’s time to put these laws on the books and protect even more people.”
“I believe the Senate should immediately pass three House-passed bills to close loopholes that allow gun purchases — purchasers to bypass the background checks. No matter how long it takes, we’re going to get these passed. We’re not going to give up.”
Rogers serves as the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee. Rogers “is the only member of the Alabama House Delegation with an A+ rating with the NRA.” Rogers represents Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District. Brooks represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. Brooks is a candidate for U.S. Senate.