Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a new federal office of gun violence prevention. President Biden will announce the new office Friday during a Rose Garden event with advocates and lawmakers invited to attend. Harris, who has played a leading role in gun safety policy, will oversee the office, Politico reports. Longtime Biden aide Stefanie Feldman, who has worked on gun policy for over a decade, will serve as its director. “The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will play a critical role in implementing President Biden’s and my efforts to reduce violence to the fullest extent under the law, while also engaging and encouraging Congressional leaders, state and local leaders, and advocates to come together to build upon the meaningful progress that we have made to save lives,” Harris said.. Greg Jackson of the Community Justice Action Fund, and Rob Wilcox of Everytown for Gun Safety will report to Feldman as deputy directors.
For years, gun groups have pleaded with Biden to take this action, which advocates see as a concrete step forward as new gun safety legislation remains stalled in Congress. Activists have argued that such an office will help the administration coordinate gun policy issues across the federal government while allowing the White House to show leadership. "Our promise to the American people is this: we will not stop working to end the epidemic of gun violence in every community, because we do not have a moment, nor a life to spare,” Harris said. The timing of the White House announcement comes as Biden’s presidential reelection campaign heats up, presenting the president and Harris with a fresh opportunity to generate enthusiasm among youth voters. Beyond the action on guns, Biden also delivered wins for both climate advocates with the launch of Climate Corps, and immigration advocates as the administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela.
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