U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued an executive order aimed at expanding background checks for gun purchases to bring down mass shootings in the country.

The executive order, the White House said, intends to keep more guns out of dangerous hands by increasing the use of "red flag" laws, strengthen efforts to hold the gun industry accountable, and accelerate law enforcement efforts to identify and apprehend the shooters menacing American communities.

Polls show overwhelming popular support for a blanket rule requiring that anyone purchasing a firearm be checked for a criminal record.

Biden's order directed the attorney general to clamp down on vendors failing to carry out the checks and also to clarify who qualifies as a dealer.

The rule "directs my attorney general to take every lawful action possible to move us as close as we can to universal background checks without new legislation," Biden said. "It's just common sense – to check whether someone is a felon or a domestic abuser before they buy a gun."

Biden also asked Congress to take additional action to reduce gun violence and urged the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report analyzing how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors, according to the order released by the White House.

Biden mourned Tuesday with the community impacted by a mass shooting that claimed 11 lives and injured nine others earlier this year. He wielded his limited powers to tighten firearms controls, addressing the immigrant community and praising their resilience. 

"Monterey Park is part of a growing list of communities all across the country that are forever changed due to gun violence – not only mass shootings, but also daily acts of gun violence that may not make national headlines," the White House said.

The United States has lost more than 8,300 lives to gun violence so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.