White House says considering executive actions on gun safety in wake of Colorado shooting

WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that the Joe Biden administration is considering taking executive actions on gun safety measures.

"We are certainly considering a range of levers, including working through legislation, including executive actions to address, obviously, you know, not just gun safety measures but violence in communities, so that has been under discussion and will continue to be under discussion," Psaki said in remarks addressing reporters aboard Air Force One.

The statement came in the wake of a shooting rampage a day earlier at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people, and one week after three shooting incidents killed eight people in the Atlanta area in Georgia.

While investigations into these shootings are still ongoing and police have not yet identified either of the two suspects' motives, Biden condemned the violence, urging Congress on Tuesday to pass legislation banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

The president also called on the Senate to immediately pass two gun reform bills enhancing background check that the House approved earlier this month.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said during a Tuesday press conference that he will take up the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and Enhanced Background Checks Act -- the two House-passed bills -- on the Senate floor, adding he will discuss with Democratic senators this week to "figure out the best path forward" on gun reform legislation.

To put onto Biden's desk any legislation that tightens gun control, Democrats will need 60 votes, or at least 10 Republican defections in the current 50-50 Senate, to end the filibuster. That's next to impossible given the degree to which Republicans are opposed to stricter gun laws.