Gun safety movement at a tipping point, says Biden on anniversary of landmark legislation

US President Joe Biden on Friday commemorated the first anniversary of the first major gun safety legislation passed by his administration. During his speech at the National Safer Communities Summit in Connecticut, Biden said the gun safety movement is now reaching a ‘tipping point’. The 46th President of the United States passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last summer, one month after the devastating Uvalde massacre. However, instances of gun-related violence remain rampant in the country. 

3 things you need to know

• US President Joe Biden said that the gun safety movement has reached a “tipping point” in the country. 

•  At the National Safer Communities Summit in Connecticut, Biden marked the first anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

• As the instances of mass shootings continue to be at an all-time high, one question that emerges is that do these regulations really work? 

Gun safety movement at the ‘tipping point

In his Friday address, the US President insisted that the safety of families across the country should be the topmost priority, no matter which side of the aisle one belongs to. “Whether you’re Democrats or Republicans we all want families to be safe. We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie, a school door without worrying that it’s the last time we’re going to see them,” he said.

Biden then went on to insist that the children in the country should have the freedom of education, instead of learning how to “duck and cover”. “We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn, to read and to write instead of learning how to duck and cover in a classroom. And above all, we all agree we are not finished. We are not finished,” the US President said. 

President Joe Biden speaks at the National Safer Communities Summit at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., Friday, June 16, 2023

The US President commemorated the first anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. This was the same place where former US President Barack Obama gave a historic speech after the devastating Sandy Hook shooting in 2013. 10 years later, the frequent instances of mass shootings remain one of the most challenging issues for the White House.

In his Wednesday speech, Biden insisted that the gun safety movement has reached its “tipping point”. “You’ve turned your cause into reality. I believe we’ve reached a tipping point. I really do, I swear to God. The people in this room are the big reason why we’ve reached that tipping point,” Biden said. He then went on to urge the US Congress to ban assault weapons and end the infamous ‘Liability immunity’ available to gun manufacturers. 

What is the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act? 

In June last year, US President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) into law and the legislation then went on to be regarded as one of the most crucial gun safety legislations in recent history. The bill, passed by the US Congress in a bipartisan manner, created a new $750 million funding pot that was made available to the states for the creation and administration of laws that help ensure that deadly weapons are at bay. The US President gave his stamp of approval to the bill just a month after the gruesome Uvalde massacre. 

President Joe Biden signs into law S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, US First Lady Jill Biden stands next to her spouse,  Saturday, June 25, 2022, Image: AP

"At a time when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential," Biden said at the White House after signing the bill. Calling it the most significant law of its kind in "the last 30 years,” the US President proclaimed that the law will save lives. The legislation enhanced background checks on gun buyers from age 18 to 21 years. It also encouraged the states to develop “red flag” laws that would deny guns to people who are deemed to be “dangerous”.

It also focused on closing down the “boyfriend loophole” by adding convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the national criminal background check system. However, the incidents of mass shootings still remain rampant in the country,

Situation still intractable 

Last month, the Gun Violence Archive revealed that the United States has faced at least 202 instances of mass shootings till May 2023. They emphasised that there have been more mass shootings in 2023. While mass shootings don’t make up the majority of gun violence in the country, their impact on communities can not be ignored.

One of the major reasons why the aforementioned Act was passed, was to ensure that children remain safe in schools. But the Nashville school shooting in March this year tells a different story. The devastating incident led to the death of three children and three staff members at a private school in Nashville Tennessee. 

 Crime scene tape surrounds Robb Elementary School after a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022. Image: AP

However, the impact of the act cannot be blatantly ignored. According to US Today, the legislation has resulted in dozens of federal charges and blockades over the span of a year. As per the American news outlet, at least 31 people have been charged in 17 cases under new federal straw purchasing and trafficking criminal offenses. Not only this, more than 130 firearms purchases have been blocked between November and April. Hence, while the law did bring changes in regards to acquiring firearms, there is still a long way to go, when it comes to curbing gun violence in the country.