President Joe Biden rejected growing Democratic calls to issue a gun control executive order as talks stall in Congress, The Hill reports.
The House voted 223-204 on Wednesday to pass a package of gun bills, including raising the age to buy certain rifles from 18 to 21, ban large-capacity magazines, and strengthen existing gun laws.
Five Republicans voted for the bill while two Democrats voted against it.
But the bill is doomed in the Senate, where Republican leaders have ruled out any new gun restrictions.
The Senate is negotiating a bill that would encourage states to implement their own red-flag laws while focusing on school safety and mental health.
Calls for exec order:
A growing number of Democrats have called on Biden to use executive action in response to the recent mass shootings.
Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan urged Biden to “get creative.”
"Let's face it, Congress is largely dysfunctional right now," Pocan said. "The only way we're going to really be able to advance some things right now is with the White House."
"Simply doing any one of those, I think, is a huge signal that we're starting to address this as the problem it has been for too many years," he added.
Biden rejects:
“I have issued executive orders within the power of the presidency to be able to deal with everything having to do with guns, gun ownership, whether or not you have to have a waiting period. All the things that are within my power,” Biden told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and constitutional authority,” Biden continued. “I mean that sincerely, because I often get asked — ‘Look, the Republicans don’t play it square, why do you play it square?’ Well, guess what? If we do the same thing they do, our democracy will literally be in jeopardy.”
