BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — President Joe Biden made an executive order Tuesday aiming to increase background checks on people before they buy a gun.
This order is the closest the U.S. will get to universal background checks without additional legislation. More details on President Biden’s executive order on background checks can be found here.
Some people think Biden’s executive order will help to curb gun violence while others think the people committing the crimes will find a way around it.
Karen Nathan’s son, Stanley (Stan) Hopson Jr., was shot multiple times and killed in his apartment in May 2021. The pain and anger from losing her son still fresh.
“The emotions have been out of control,” says Nathan. “I don’t like having to do this, holding a picture. Because I want to hold my son.”
Nathan says hearing gunshots has made her cringe her whole life, even before her son’s death. She thinks Biden’s executive order will be a big help in lowering the numbers of gun-related violent incidents.
“I hear people say guns don’t hurt people, people hurt people. Yes. But if we’re not checking on these people prior to them getting them then, you know, how is that going to safe for them to even have it?” says Nathan.
Bama Carry, on the other hand, doesn’t think Biden’s executive order will stop gun violence.
“Only law-abiding citizens get background checks. Criminals do not even bother with it so anytime an executive order or new law comes in, it’s only for law-abiding citizens and those are not the ones you’re concerned about,” says Paul Arnold, vice president of Bama Carry.
Bama Carry says people already have to do a background check that goes through the FBI when buying a gun but that doesn’t stop the people who illegally get guns by stealing or buying off the street.
“People are getting to a point; they’re not going to comply with these executive orders or anything else as far as gun-related items,” says Arnold. “The fact of it is a gun is not evil. It is a tool.”
Last year, Governor Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Second Amendment Protection Act. This law says, “an official, officer, employee, or agent of the state or political subdivision thereof, when acting in official capacity, may not enforce or administer any executive order issued by the President of the United States which limits or restricts the ownership, use, or possession of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories by law-abiding residents of the state.” You can read the law in full below.
