Biden announces White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

President Joe Biden introduced on Friday the status quo of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to assist scale back the country’s epidemic of gun violence.

“He believes that now is the moment to accelerate our work to reduce gun violence, which is why he is establishing this office,” Stefanie Feldman, who will function Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, informed newshounds.

Speaking from the Rose Garden, the president mentioned he took this motion “to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country.”

“After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message — the same message all over the country. I’ve been to every mass shooting, ‘Do something, please do something,'” Biden mentioned.

“Do something to prevent the tragedies that leave behind survivors who will always carry the physical and emotional scars; families will never quite be the same; communities overwhelmed by grief and trauma. Do something! Do something,” the president endured.

While the announcement does no longer come with a brand new coverage initiative, Biden mentioned the brand new White House place of job will “centralize, accelerate and intensify” the management’s efforts to care for gun violence.

Since taking place of job, the Biden management has sought to do so on weapons thru government movements, and maximum particularly, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which enhanced background tests for gun consumers below the age of 21 and greater investment for so-called “Red Flag” regulations, amongst different movements.

“There’s a big difference between doing the bare minimum and doing everything you can to make sure that the executive actions the president has already announced and the bipartisan Safer Communities Act are implemented to the fullest extent possible, and the president wants to make sure that we have staff on hand to really excel,” a senior management authentic mentioned.

But the management has no longer been in a position to move a ban on attack guns and high-capacity magazines — a marketing campaign pledge from Biden’s 2020 run. With the 2024 election at the horizon, Biden once more known as on Congress to behave, and prompt electorate to do so if they do not.

“If members of the Congress refuse to act, then we’ll need to elect new members of Congress that will act, Democrat or Republican. Look, folks, there comes a point where our voices are so loud, our determination is so clear that our effort can no longer be stopped. We’re reaching that point. We’ve reached that point today in my view, where the safety of our kids from gun violence is on the ballot,” the president mentioned Friday.

Vice President Kamala Harris will upload overseeing the place of job to her portfolio, and likewise spoke on the announcement.

“With this new office, we will use the full power of the federal government to strengthen the coalition of survivors and advocates and students and teachers and elected leaders, to save lives and fight for the right of all people to be safe from fear and to be able to live a life where they understand that they are supported in that desire and that right,” Harris mentioned.

Included within the target market of the development have been individuals of Congress, state and native officers, survivors and members of the family, and gun violence-prevention advocates.

“Our losses may be different circumstances, but I know events like this are really hard to attend. You want to be here to promote to change, but it brings back all the memories as if it happened a day ago,” Biden informed the target market, drawing off his personal reviews with loss.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., the 1st Generation Z and youngest member of Congress, offered the president, and mentioned the rationale he were given serious about politics was once “quite simple: I didn’t want to get shot in school.”

Feldman has labored widely on gun violence problems prior to now and importantly, in keeping with a supply, has the ear of the president.

The Washington Post first reported that Greg Jackson, a gun violence survivor who heads up the Community Justice Action Fund, and Rob Wilcox of Everytown for Gun Safety, are anticipated to have “key roles” within the newly shaped place of job.

The U.S. has noticed greater than 500 mass taking pictures thus far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass taking pictures is outlined as 4 or extra folks shot at one time.

Activist teams, together with March For Our Lives and Newtown Action Alliance, have advocated for years for an place of job for gun violence prevention, pronouncing in an open letter to Biden in 2021 that the status quo of an place of job would “streamline the government’s efforts to reduce violence.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Frost additionally offered regulation remaining yr to create this type of White House place of job and liaison. Murphy mentioned in a commentary on Wednesday that the transfer will save 1000’s of lives.

“Congressman Frost and I introduced legislation earlier this year to establish this office, and though we will continue to push to codify the need for this office, the president’s decision to set it up without legislation is a great step forward,” Murphy mentioned.

One supply ABC News spoke with known as organising the place of job a large win for the gun violence prevention motion.

As Republicans have retaken the House, the possibility of congressional motion on gun issues of safety has dwindled. Biden labored around the aisle to move gun-safety reforms within the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, college taking pictures in 2022, however gun security proponents have endured to suggest for extra measures, reminiscent of an assault-weapon ban but additionally limits on mag ammunition means, common background tests and protected garage regulations.

Peter Ambler, the manager director of Giffords, informed ABC News in a commentary, “This has been a top priority of ours for years, and it would provide an important center of gravity for leadership across the Administration as the President and Vice President implement the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and continue to push Congress to pass legislation to save lives.”