Joe Biden has come for the gun community yet again with his latest Executive Order that demands safe storage of guns. And while the initial reaction is fury and outrage, when the dust settles we might just see this as a win, because Joe Biden wants to go way further than insisting on a gun safe when kids are in the house….
There’s more to it, but the short version is that if a child or someone prohibited from owning guns accesses your guns, then you’ve committed a criminal offence. Now the long version is that basically everybody with a child or a disqualified adult in the house is obligated to secure their guns with a gun safe or trigger locks. Lost and stolen guns also have to be reported to the authorities, who will probably get tired of hearing about boating accidents before long.
Now the NRA has come out fighting, saying quite rightly that this renders guns basically useless when it comes to a home invasion. But that hasn’t stopped Biden, the Executive Order has gone through and now you have to lock up your guns if you have kids, felons or anybody else disqualified from owning a gun in your house.
States are drawing up their own legislation now to fall in line with this Federal Mandate, although the likes of Arizona and Texas may choose to render these rules unenforceable, according to their own versions of the Second Amendment Freedom Act.
Biden vs The Gun Community
In a nation where the right to bear arms is as ingrained in the culture, any executive action on firearms tends to spark intense debate. President Joe Biden’s latest executive order is no exception, not just because it is an inconvenience and an expense for gun owners.
The argument against this rule is that guns aren’t much use as a self defense tool if they’re safely locked away when an intruder enters your house. The same argument has worked before and blocked this kind of legislation, but this time around you might need to look into hidden gun safes dotted around the house.
The gun community just plain doesn’t like Joe Biden, for many varied and solid reasons. Any announcement regarding guns tends to send us all into a frothing rage. But honestly if this is the only Executive Order we get then I think we should take it as a win.
You know and I know Joe Biden wants to do way worse than insist on gun safes with kids in the house. At the end of his first term, if this is his best shot, I’d say the gun community might want to breathe a sigh of relief.
Biden has talked repeatedly about a complete ‘assault weapons ban’, without really grasping what an assault weapon is. Gun control was one of his major platforms and honestly he’s not doing that well with it.
The Call for Secure Storage
The initiative encourages the use of gun safes, lock boxes, and safety devices such as trigger and cable locks, which can be critical barriers against accidental discharges and misuse.
States will now respond with their own legislation, but you can get more information before that from this DOJ guide.
The government is determined to include teachers, church leaders and the local community in its war on gun violence and is determined to spread the message. Retailers are also going to get roped in to provide information and resources on safe storage at the point of sale.
Now the Executive Order isn’t just about lock boxes and gun safes. Biden wants to strengthen background checks, too.
There will be a backlash and probably legal challenges, but even though any new gun law is always going to get a negative response, this one actually shows how weak the Biden administration is when it comes to really going for gun control.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but if this is all he can do we say let him have this one.
Some Past Biden Shadiness
Now Biden has done far more damage than this in the past, starting with some bizarre proxy war on FFL dealers through the ATF. The ATF has shut down more gun stores than ever and just one clerical error has led to licenses being revoked or ‘voluntarily handed in’.