WASHINGTON — On April 11, 2022, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) applauded government actions that President Biden introduced this afternoon to handle the epidemic of gun violence our nation is dealing with, together with safeguards on the manufacturing and sale of unserialized firearm parts – also called “ghost guns” – that he pushed the administration to finalize earlier this yr.
“In Maryland, we’ve seen the toll these untraceable weapons have taken on our communities – and that’s why our General Assembly stood up to the NRA and took action to ban ghost guns from our state. But Maryland is not an island, and many guns being used in crimes are coming from out of state. That’s why I was proud to see President Biden take meaningful action today to close ghost gun loopholes, modernize background check rules, and nominate a highly qualified and respected leader to head the ATF. These are important steps, but our work to reduce senseless gun violence is far from over. Even if Republicans don’t have the courage to support these common-sense reforms, I’ll keep fighting for meaningful action to reduce gun violence.”
A longtime advocate for gun violence prevention, Senator Van Hollen has fought to enact commonsense reforms since his time within the Maryland General Assembly. In January, Senators Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) urged President Biden to take swift motion to shut ghost gun loopholes nationwide. Senator Van Hollen additionally supported the Maryland General Assembly’s efforts to ban the sale and possession of ghost weapons within the state, which grew to become legislation final week, submitting written testimony in assist of the measure earlier within the legislative session.
Additionally, the Senator has pushed for funding for group violence prevention applications on the Senate Appropriations Committee, launched the ATF Improvement and Modernization (AIM) Act to enhance and modernize the ATF with the intention to strengthen gun security in our communities, and the Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act to incentivize state and native governments to enact legal guidelines requiring people to acquire a license earlier than buying a handgun.
More data on in the present day’s government actions by President Biden is right here.
