The White House will announce new actions aimed at further reducing gun violence as the one-year mark since the formation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) approaches. Administration officials have pointed to the creation of the first-of-its-kind office, led by Vice President Harris, as a landmark moment for President Biden, for whom the issue of gun violence has been a decades-long focus. “We know that people are still dying every day in this country due to gun violence,” Stefanie Feldman, director of the office, told Scripps News. “Sometimes it makes national headlines. Sometimes it doesn't." Feldman said new executive actions will be announced in the coming weeks but declined to elaborate on specifics, noting that some pertain to the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act while others are “wholly new.”
Last week the White House released a new report showcasing the work of the OGVP in its first year, discussing the four key responsibilities of the office, including implementing the Safer Communities Act, coordinating support for gun violence survivors, identifying new possible executive actions and expanding partner coalitions with states and localities. Passed in 2022, the Safer Communities Act was the first gun control law approved by Congress in nearly three decades. It included additional funding for mental health and red flag programs, expanded background checks for gun sales and cracked down on illegal trafficking efforts.
In 2024, the gun background check system helped block more than 4,600 gun sales to people convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. The Department of Justice has charged more than 500 defendants with violating provisions under the law, and the expanded background check provision has kept guns out of the hands of nearly 900 young people who shouldn’t have them, federal officials said. Feldman noted that there was a "historic increase in homicides" during the Trump administration, compared with a historic decrease" since Biden has been president.
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