#GoodMorningDC! Gun control is the word of the day. Here’s what you need to know this Thursday morning, April 8, 2021.
Good Morning DC! It’s Thursday, and President Biden is expected to make a series of executive actions on gun reform. At 11:45 AM, President Biden VP Harris and Attorney will give a speech on violence prevention in the Rose Garden. The First Lady Jill Biden will also attend.
Briefly, here’s what to expect from Biden’s actions on gun reform.
The Justice Department, within 30 days, will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of “ghost guns.”
Within 60 days, the Justice Department will issue a proposed rule to make clear when a device marketed as a stabilizing brace effectively turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act.
Within 60 days, the Justice Department will publish a “red flag” legislation model for the states. These laws will allow family members or law enforcement to petition for a court order temporarily barring people in crisis from accessing firearms if they present a danger to themselves or others.
The Justice Department will issue an annual report on firearms trafficking.
Biden is expected to nominate David Chipman, a former federal agent and gun control advocate, to direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Did you know that ATF did not have a confirmed director since 2015?
Last month, the House passed two bills to close loopholes in the gun background check system. What Congress did not do yet, is close “boyfriend” loopholes that allow abusers to own firearms, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
The “boyfriend clause” would ensure that all domestic abusers, regardless of their relationship with survivors, are prevented from adding to the body count of women killed by an intimate partner in connection with gun violence.
Under the current legislation, survivors of domestic abuse are only protected from gun violence at the hands of their abusers if they were married or have children together. Without the boyfriend clause, women whose boyfriends own guns and are abusive have no legal way to take away their guns.
At 12:30 PM, Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will brief the press.
At 2 PM, Nancy Pelosi will hold a virtual weekly press briefing.
Across the pond, PM Boris Johnson is getting ready to boost public confidence in AstraZeneca after an announcement has been made that giving it to those under the 30s is a no-go.
The US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, has a corporate tax rise plan connected to a $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. As taxing has become increasingly popular since President Biden took the Oval Office, the IMF is toeing the US line and wants the pandemic wealth tax.
“To help meet pandemic-related financing needs, policymakers could consider a temporary Covid-19 recovery contribution, levied on high incomes or wealth,” the IMF’s fiscal monitor stated.
And that’s a wrap for this Thursday morning, April 8, 2021.Thanks for waking up with Good Morning DC and our awesome team. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to bring you the latest first.