US President Joe Biden wants to invest heavily in the police force to combat gun violence in the United States. The federal government is making resources available to US states, which will enable them to deploy more agents in areas where there is a lot of crime.
In addition, the president promises to go after illegal arms dealers.
“Sellers of death are breaking the law for profit,” Biden told a White House news conference on tackling gun violence on Wednesday. Authorities will have “no tolerance” for rogue arms dealers, the president said. “We will find you and ask for a permit,” Biden said, referring to the arms dealers.
According to the BBC, President Biden asks US states and cities to release $350 billion to improve public safety on the streets. This money must come from the corona support packages already approved by Congress. “This means more police officers, more nurses and more social workers to solve problems before they escalate into crimes.”
In April this year, the president already announced that he wants to tackle the still growing gun violence in his country with a series of measures. Biden wants to tackle the so-called ghost guns. These are weapons that you buy on the internet and assemble yourself.
They cannot be traced. Biden also wants a ban on private assault weapons, such as the Kalashnikov (AK-47). In addition, the US Department of Justice is introducing rules stipulating that parts that can be used to make pistols into even more dangerous firearms will come under the Weapons Act.
Gun laws are extremely sensitive in the US, where the right to own a firearm is enshrined in the constitution. There is also a powerful gun lobby with the influential NRA.