As his term nears its end, President Biden signed new executive orders last week on ghost guns, school drills and other efforts to reduce gun violence throughout the country.
Biden wants to establish a federal task force to combat emerging firearm threats and the production of 3D-printed guns and machine gun conversion devices. He also gave his cabinet 110 days to compile effective ways for schools to conduct active shooter drills, prioritizing students’ mental and emotional well-being along with their physical safety.
“Whether you’re Democrat or Republican, independent, we all want our families to be safe,” Biden said. “Think about it: We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of duck and cover.
Biden touched on his administration’s allocation of $135 million to fight gun violence in addition to $238 million awarded to 48 states for crisis intervention. The president also referenced a dozen executive orders on gun safety and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed in 2022.
According to FBI statistics, he said, violent crime dropped 16% in 2023, which he attributed to his administration.
“If you want to talk about reducing crime and violence in America, you need to talk about guns in America,” Biden said, calling statistics that gun violence is the No. 1 cause of death for children in America “sick.
President Biden appeared beside himself when referencing the stance of former President Trump and running mate J.D. Vance to deemphasize the importance of gun control. “Who the hell do these people think they are?”
“If they got their way, criminals could traffic guns and commit crimes,” Biden said.
“Congressional opponents are trying to defund the Office of Gun Violence Prevention … to attack the FBI and want to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” he added. “Folks, you can’t be pro-law enforcement and be anti-FBI and ATF.”
Gun violence survivors and people who have lost loved ones surrounded Biden during the signing and ceremony, such as Sari Kaufman, a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, and Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama, which experienced a mass shooting just a few days before. The president asked how many audience members had lost someone in their family to gun violence. The audience gasped as most of them raised their hands.
“When I was 15, a gunman entered my school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and murdered 17 of my classmates, teachers and friends,” Kaufman said during her remarks. “Ever since I’ve been fighting against gun violence, and I’m so happy that we finally have a president and vice president who are making schools safer.”
Kaufman continued to share her views on the effects not only of gun violence but also on how gun violence prevention can have adverse effects on students.
“Gun violence and the fear of gun violence impacts every community,” she said. “School shooting drills are adding to this fear and anxiety. While we must be prepared, we should not be traumatizing students.”
“That is why I am grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for not only leading on the issue of gun violence, but showing compassion while they do it.
Kaufman went on to commend Harris for her leadership on gun violence and in helping to establish the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“She is continuing her life’s work fighting for the safety of all of our communities.
Vice President Kamala Harris called Kaufman an “extraordinary leader” and said the right to be safe is a civil right.
“The people of America have a right to live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence, including gun violence,” she said.
The vice president also noted that gun violence is the number one cause of children’s death in the U.S. and that one in five Americans have a family member who has died from gun violence.
Harris also discussed the “invisible” trauma of experiencing and surviving gun violence “that is far too often undiagnosed and untreated, which means that the effect of it is from that moment and lingers a lifetime.”
She talked about her experience consoling families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. She called the epidemic unnecessary and debunked the notion that being against the Second Amendment or the right “to keep and bear arms” means being inherently anti-gun.
“We know how to stop these tragedies, and it is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” Harris said. “I am in favor of the Second Amendment, and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban Vice President Harris also said she is in favor of universal background checks, safe storage and red flag laws.
“When we took office, we promised to take on the crisis of gun violence, and we passed, under the president’s leadership, the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years, a bipartisan law which includes a historic investment to address the trauma caused by gun violence.”
In her closing remarks, she commended Congressional members who have supported the administration’s stance on gun control even when up against the gun lobby.
The vice president then introduced Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, where a mass shooting killed four people and injured 17 others.
Woodfin also shared his personal experience with gun violence.
“I know the scream of a mother when her child is killed. I know that, because I heard it from the voice of my own mother when my brother was killed by gun violence.”
Woodfin praised the Biden-Harris administration’s work to “loosen the grip that gun violence has on our communities.”
Jordyn Britton is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
