White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is reiterating President Joe Biden's plans to call on Congress to pass new gun control measures, despite a record number of Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights. This includes eight million first time gun owners last year alone.
"He has an ambitious plan in a lot of areas and on a lot of issues. I will say as Vice President and even before that, the President took on the NRA twice and won. This is an issue he is personally committed to, we are, many in this building are personally committed to and I think he would love to see action on additional gun safety measures," Psaki said, stating there isn't a set date for a proposal to Congress. "This is an issue he is personally committed to. He has a personal, you know has worked on it, many times in the past."
According to data compiled by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, gun sales in January 2021 hit new records, adding onto 2020's record year.
"January’s NICS figures clearly spell out that the demand of law-abiding Americans to purchase firearms isn’t abating. It is growing. Three of the top 10 weeks and one top 10 single day for the highest number of FBI NICS background checks occurred in January. Taken into context that all but one of the top 10 weeks and four other top 10 single-day records occurred during the 2020, when 21 million background checks were conducted, these are a jaw-dropping figures to start the New Year. Americans are claiming their Second Amendment rights to provide for their own safety in record numbers," NSSF Public Affairs Director Mark Oliva said about the numbers.
The @NSSF released their adjusted numbers for NICS background checks. January 2021 was the HIGHEST month to date, with a 75% increase over January 2020, meaning more Americans than ever are utilizing their #2A rights. pic.twitter.com/dew0lzpaap
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) February 2, 2021
"It can’t be discounted that many of these background checks for the purchase of a firearm are attributed to threats by the Biden administration to enact the most radical and far-reaching gun control agenda ever proposed. Americans are continuing to purchase firearms at a blistering pace. That’s undoubtedly connected to President Joe Biden’s plans to attack the firearm industry by undoing and rewriting regulations and executive actions to target the firearm industry, which started with freezing the publication of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s 'Fair Access' banking rule. The Biden administration interfered with an independent government agency to further an agenda and perpetuate the illegal Operation Choke Point by farming it out to corporate banks. That was just the opening salvo," he continued. "The Biden administration has yet to put forth a single proposal to tackle the crime, lawlessness, rioting and looting that has plagued this nation for the year."