On the fourth anniversary of Florida's Parkland school massacre, when 17 died, President Biden vowed to support more measures to reduce gun violence, reports the Associated Press. Biden said "this extraordinary movement is making sure that the voices of victims and survivors and responsible gun owners are louder than the voices of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association." Biden's efforts to reduce gun violence so far has included a crack-down on "ghost guns," which are often purchased without a background check, and pistol-stabilizing braces. Biden encouraged cities to use COVID-19 relief funds to reduce gun violence. He again suggested lawmakers pass legislation mandating universal background checks and banning assault weapon and high-capacity magazines.
So far, many of the administration's efforts to combat gun violence have not succeeded. He had to pull his nominee to head for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Congress has not indicated much interest in passing his gun proposals. Meanwhile, gun violence in schools has continued. In a report by gun law advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, there were 136 instances of gunfire on school grounds between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31. Many of these instances were preventable, as a report from the U.S. Secret Service showed that 94 percent of potential shooters had talked about their plans.