President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the first-ever office of gun violence prevention, which will be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris, granting gun control activists a longtime wish.
Gun control groups and activists have continuously urged the Biden administration to establish a federal office dedicated to gun violence prevention since Biden was elected in 2020, according to The Washington Post. Greg Jackson, executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund — an organization that helps advance policy focused on gun violence — and Rob Wilcox, senior director for federal government affairs at gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, will both serve as special assistant to the president as well as deputy director of the newly established office, according to the White House’s announcement.
“Every time I’ve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones, and I’ve met with so many throughout the country, they all have the same message for their elected officials: ‘do something,'” Biden said in a statement. “It’s why, last year, I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to keep guns out of dangerous hands, and have taken more executive action than any President in history to keep communities safe. But as I’ve said before – while these are important steps, they are just the first steps toward what is needed.”
Stefanie Feldman, a Biden aide who previously served on the Domestic Policy Council, will serve as the Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. (RELATED: New Mexico Gov Partially Reverses Gun Ban, Narrows Scope To Parks And Playgrounds)
Launch Expeditionary Charter School students participate in a walkout to end gun violence and to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2, 2023 in New York. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The latest announcement is a part of several actions the Biden administration has taken on gun control. Congress voted in June 2022 to pass a piece of legislation that added “convicted domestic violence abusers” to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and made adjustments to the review process for gun purchasers under 21 years of age, making the process more extensive. Biden issued an executive order in March that aimed at increasing the knowledge around “red flag” laws and added to the number of background checks needed prior to firearm purchases.
“If this announcement is, in fact, the creation of a single point of leadership on gun violence in the administration, it’s a very big deal for the movement. … For years, we’ve advocated for a centralized team responsible for coordinating federal and state resources and mobilizing movement partners,” Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts told the Post. Moms Demand Action is an organization advocating for stricter gun laws.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the White House’s Thursday announcement confirming the office’s creation.