President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday that will ramp up the number of background checks conducted before gun sales. 

The administration is touting the measure as bringing the U.S. as close as possible to universal background checks without Congress passing additional legislation, which would be unlikely given the stalemate on the issue in Congress. 

"Again and again, [Biden] has called for Congress to act, including by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring background checks for all gun sales, requiring safe storage of firearms, closing the dating violence restraining order loophole, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability," the White House said. 

The order also calls on Congress to encourage greater use of so-called "red flag" laws, which allows members of the community to petition a court to determine whether an individual is dangerous and should be legally denied access to firearms. 

The administration stressed that these laws are only effective when the public is aware of their existence and knows how to use them. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia have red flag laws on the books. 

Finally, the White House is urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report investigating whether and how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors. 

Biden signed the order in Monterey Park, California, where a gunman recently killed 11 people and injured nine others. 

Read the full executive order here. 

Updated March 14, 2023 at 4:55 p.m. ET after Biden signed the executive order.

Share:
More In Politics
Stocks Bounce Back, Close Sharply Higher Amid Omicron Concerns
Michael Robinson, Chief Technology Strategist at Money Map Press, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why small and mid-cap stocks heating up during Tuesday's session is a very good sign for a stock market that ended the day's session sharply higher.
Crypto Craze: Historic 2021 Campaign Paves Way for Continued Mainstream Adoption
Coming off a 2021 campaign where the prices of Bitcoin, Ether, and other cryptocurrencies reached unpreceded levels, Bitwise Asset Management CIO Matt Hougan and OpenNode Co-Founder & CTO João Almeida join Cheddar News' Crypto Craze: The Year of the Token to discuss the ways the crypto market can soar even higher in 2022.
How Wyoming Became a Top Tax Haven With Its 'Cowboy Cocktail'
The Cowboy State has become one of the world's top tax havens, according to the Pandora Papers, a trove of more than 11.9 million documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The Washington Post. The papers reveal, among other things, how ultra-wealthy people from around the world move money into the U.S., invest, and spend it under a shroud of secrecy. Allison Tait, University of Richmond law professor, joined Cheddar to talk about Wyoming's laidback tax laws, their impact on the nation's economy, and provided some details on the financial arrangement known as the "cowboy cocktail."
The Dangers of a Russa-China Partnership
China and Russia are saying they want to work closer together in different areas after a recent call between Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. What are the implications of a close partnership between Beijing and Moscow? Cheddar News breaks things down with expert Hagar Chemali.
Stocks Close Mostly Lower; Dow Suffers 500-Point Drop
Michele Schneider, Partner and Director of Trading Research & Education for MarketGauge.com, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says the spread of the Omicron variant and Jerome Powell's comments following the latest Fed decision are spooking investors heading into the weekend.
J&J Vaccine, Build Back Later & Love, Hate, Ate
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
Load More