The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, announced by Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden on Friday, is an effort to circumvent Congress’s failure to pass stricter gun control legislation.
Mr. Biden said in a statement that he would “urge Congress to take commonsense actions that the majority of Americans support, like enacting universal background checks and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
As he proceeded, he said, “But in the absence of that sorely-needed action, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention along with the rest of my Administration will continue to do everything it can to combat the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our families, our communities, and our country apart.”
According to the White House, the office’s stated purpose is to carry out the president’s executive orders on gun violence as well as the most recent gun legislation passed by Congress, the 2022 bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which strengthens background checks for buyers under 21, allots funds for mental health services, and shuts down the so-called “boyfriend loophole” to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years. The White House claims that having dedicated employees on hand within the White House will assist speed the office’s objectives, while it is yet unclear what the office’s purpose will be.
A group advocating for stricter gun laws backed Mr. Biden for reelection last month.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic began, gun violence has increased in several communities throughout the country. A research released this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association also indicated an uptick in gun-related deaths, with more patients succumbing at the scene of a shooting rather than making it to hospitals in time.
Mr. Biden is persistent in his pursuit of a new assault weapons ban despite the Congress’s hostility to the idea.
Both Mr. Biden and Harris, throughout their terms in office, made trips to the locations of mass shootings, including Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
