Biden acts to curb gun violence

US President Joe Biden announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an "epidemic and an international embarrassment".

Biden's announcement came following two more mass shootings in the US.

A 70-year-old doctor; his wife, 69; two grandchildren, 9 and 5; and a 39-year-old man working at their house were shot dead at the physician's house in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 

Former National Football League player Phillip Adams, 33, committed the killings and was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound hours later, authorities said.

"Gun violence in this country is an epidemic," he said. "We saw that again," he said, noting that as he was headed to the Oval Office, he got word of the South Carolina shootings.

"The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation," he said in remarks in the Rose Garden.

In Bryan, Texas, one person was killed and five wounded Thursday in a shooting that started at a cabinet-making business, authorities said. A state trooper was later shot during a manhunt that resulted in the suspect being taken into custody.

Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske told reporters he believes the shooting suspect is an employee at the Kent Moore Cabinets location. The shooting happened in the bays in a plant where employees make cabinets.

A White House fact sheet about the president's executive actions referenced other recent mass killings.

"The recent high-profile mass shootings in Boulder (Colorado) — taking the lives of 10 individuals — and Atlanta — taking the lives of eight individuals, including six Asian-American women — underscored the relentlessness of this epidemic," the White House said. "Gun violence takes lives and leaves a lasting legacy of trauma in communities every single day in this country, even when it is not on the nightly news."

Biden's gun orders — his first since taking office — tighten regulations on homemade guns and provide more resources for gun-violence prevention but fall far short of the sweeping gun-control agenda he laid out on the campaign trail. 

"My job, the job of any president, is to protect the American people," the Democratic president said during his announcement. "Whether Congress acts or not, I'm going to use all the resources at my disposal as president to keep the American people safe from gun violence."

Gun advocates were quick to respond to Biden's announcement. The National Rifle Association (NRA) called it a "circus."

The right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and many see gun-control laws as infringing on that right.

Conservative state leaders across the country this week took action to strengthen support of the Second Amendment at the state level. 

Earlier this week, Republican Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona signed into law a bill making the state a "Second Amendment sanctuary" by prohibiting state and local governments from enforcing any federal laws that are "inconsistent with any law of this state regarding the regulation of firearms".

On Thursday, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas vowed to do the same in his state.

"(Biden) just announced a new liberal power grab to take away our guns. We will NOT allow this in TX," Abbott said on Twitter. "It's time to get legislation making TX a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State passed and to my desk for signing." 

Biden's announced moves illustrate the limited powers he has as president to impose tough gun restrictions. He acknowledged that there is only so much he can do without Congress, where Republicans in the evenly divided Senate remain near unified against most proposals. 

"This is just a start," the president said. "We have a lot of work to do."

The House passed two gun-control bills last month, but they are languishing in the Senate in the face of the chamber's 60-vote threshold for passing most legislation, which requires the support of at least 10 Republicans. 

Biden again urged Congress to act, calling on the Senate to take up House-passed measures closing background-check loopholes. He also said Congress should pass the Violence Against Women Act, eliminate legal exemptions for gun manufacturers and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. 

As a candidate, Biden pledged to reinstate an assault weapons ban, create a voluntary gun-buyback program, send a bill to Congress to repeal liability protections for gun manufacturers and close background-check loopholes on his first day in office. 

The president instead has focused much of his attention in his first days in office on passing his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package and, more recently, promoting his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, frustrating some anti-gun violence groups who expected him to move faster.

Biden said Thursday that he wants untraceable weapons known as "ghost guns" that can be made from parts purchased online to be treated as firearms, requiring serial numbers and buyer background checks.

The president also said he wants pistols modified with the kind of arm brace used by the shooter in Boulder to be subject to restrictions that require buyers to pay a fee and submit identifying information to the Justice Department. A brace makes a firearm more stable and accurate.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who attended Biden's announcements with Vice-President Kamala Harris, said the Justice Department would propose a rule within 30 days to close a regulatory loophole on the ghost guns.

Garland said he was "under no illusions about how hard it is to solve the problem of gun violence" and emphasized a need for a "collective effort to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and save lives".

The Associated Press contributed to this story.