Statement from the President: "I've spent countless hours meeting with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones. They've all had the same simple message for their elected officials: 'do something.' Vice President Harris and I responded to their call: I signed the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, and we announced dozens of executive actions to reduce gun violence. But we knew more was needed. That's why I established the first-ever White Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by the Vice President. In just one year, it has accelerated my Administration's efforts to reduce gun violence and save lives."
Statement from the Vice President: "President Biden and I have worked to address the epidemic of gun violence with the urgency it demands by enacting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act - the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years - and launching the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. In the year since President Biden asked me to oversee this Office, our administration has improved and expanded background checks, announced the single largest investment in youth mental health in history, and been an unprecedented resource to states, cities, and local communities. We have also supported, convened, and worked alongside gun violence survivors, the families of those who have lost loved ones to shootings, and other impacted individuals to tackle the trauma caused by gun violence. I am committed to continuing this urgent work to ensure that every person in our nation has the freedom to live safe from gun violence."
After the prior Administration oversaw the largest one-year increase in murders ever recorded, President Biden and Vice President Harris took historic action from the start of their Administration to reduce violent crime. Because firearms are used in approximately 80% of murders in the United States, addressing gun crime is essential to addressing violent crime. The President and Vice President secured funding through the American Rescue Plan-which every Republican in Congress voted against-for law enforcement and community violence interventions. President Biden and Vice President Harris announced executive actions to keep guns out of dangerous hands and, by the middle of 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration had already taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other administration. On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act-the most significant new gun violence prevention law in nearly 30 years. Year-over-year comparisons show that 2023 had the single largest homicide rate drop in recent history.
After two and a half years of significant progress, President Biden and Vice President Harris's next step was to establish a White House office dedicated to coordinating across the federal government and partnering with gun violence survivors, law enforcement, state and local officials, and community leaders on our shared goal of reducing gun violence. After championing this issue for decades, President Biden asked Vice President Harris to oversee the White House Office of Gun Violence because he knows that she has a proven record as a leader for gun violence prevention.
The past year, the reduction in homicide has only accelerated, with the Department of Justice reporting that, from January to June, homicides dropped 17% compared to the same time last year. In addition, data from the Gun Violence Archive indicates that the number of mass shootings to date in 2024 has decreased by 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
Today, the White House is releasing a report on progress made by the Biden-Harris Administration to reduce gun violence in the one year since President Biden created the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The report provides a summary, but not an exhaustive list, of how the Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to fulfill the four objectives President Biden gave the office:
- Expedite implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and already-announced executive actions;
- Coordinate more support for survivors of gun violence;
- Identify new executive actions; and
- Expand our coalition of partners in states and cities across the country.
For President Biden, this work is the culmination of well over 30 years of national leadership to reduce gun violence and save lives. He played a critical role in securing passage of the Brady Bill in 1993 and the assault weapons ban in 1994. In the early 2000s, when the National Rifle Association was experiencing growing power in Washington and claiming to "work out of [the President's] office," then-Senator Biden was a key voice taking votes opposing their dangerous agenda. From 2012 to 2013, then-Vice President Biden led the Obama-Biden Administration's efforts to develop and implement over two dozen executive actions after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He has continued this work throughout his own presidency by actually establishing an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and forcefully calling on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and repeal PLCAA.
As President Biden emphasized during his State of the Union address earlier this year, Vice President Harris continues to lead the Administration's work to address the epidemic of gun violence and keep communities safe while overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Since taking office, there have been more than 80 instances where the Vice President has put a focus on gun violence prevention. This includes mourning with families and consoling communities that have been directly impacted by gun violence across the nation - from Buffalo and Highland Park to Nashville, Monterey Park, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Parkland.
This dedicated work is a continuation of the Vice President's decades-long record of taking on gun violence and advancing gun safety policies. As District Attorney of San Francisco, she prosecuted homicide cases and saw first-hand the devastation of gun violence. She also invested in community violence intervention efforts by championing Community Response Networks. While overseeing the second largest Department of Justice in America as Attorney General of California, Vice President Harris worked to get illegal firearms off the street and to prosecute gun trafficking. And as Senator, she co-sponsored several pieces of gun safety legislation, including an assault weapons ban.
