West Virginia attorney general threatens to sue Biden over gun measures

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) on Thursday threatened to sue the Biden administration over President Biden’s proposed gun safety measures.

Morrisey issued a statement threatening to be in court “very quickly” if Biden follows through on his proposals, which the president unveiled at the White House Rose Garden on Thursday.

“Defending the Second Amendment remains one of the most important priorities for the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office,” Morrisey said. “I will not allow the far left to run roughshod over our citizens’ gun rights. If President Biden follows through on his proposals, we will be in court very quickly.”

“Gun violence and the senseless death attributed to it should pain all Americans, however, the evil acts of a select few should never be a catalyst for stripping the lawful masses of their constitutional rights, especially their right to self-defense and to bear arms,” he continued.

Biden has directed the Justice Department to propose rules making homemade “ghost guns” subject to background checks. He is also proposing “red flag” legislation for states that could help keep firearms away from potentially dangerous people, and is asking Justice to reclassify pistols modified with stabilizer braces to be subject to the National Firearms Act.

He also said the Department of Justice will issue a report on gun trafficking for the first time in five years, and has directed five federal agencies to focus grant programs more on community-based interventions. Biden is also set to nominate gun control advocate David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Biden repeated his call on Congress to pass gun control measures aimed at expanding background checks. While the House has passed a series of measures, they face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate.