September 22 marked the one-year anniversary of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The Amsterdam News spoke to office Deputy Director Greg Jackson, as well as other stakeholders in gun violence prevention, to assess the efficacy of the office so far.
Here are five takeaways from our reporting.
The office has taken meaningful action
The Biden administration created the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention as a way to advance their policy goals on the issue outside of Congress, where their agenda had stalled. The goals of the office were to ensure the implementation of existing laws and executive actions, develop additional measures that could be taken without Congressional approval, and build connections with state and local leaders.
On these terms, advocates say, the office has succeeded.
“I think they’ve surpassed expectations,” said Josh Horwitz, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Going forward, gun violence prevention advocates would like to see the office expand in capacity to maximize its impact.
“I think that they’re doing a good job with listening to concerns, but I do also know that the office doesn’t have enough capacity to really address all of the concerns, because it’s made up of a three or four person team,” said Oresa Napper-Williams, founder of the Harlem-based gun violence prevention organization Not Another Child.
The office works with other federal agencies to coordinate gun violence policy
The bulk of the office’s day-to-day work in the federal government involves collaborating with staff at other agencies to develop and implement policy ideas. The office has worked with 18 agencies so far, Jackson said.
Policy initiatives have ranged from working with the Department of Education to encourage safe gun storage to building a partnership with Americorps to support volunteer work related to reducing gun violence. The office has also coordinated federal agencies’ response to mass violence events, such as the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, last October where 18 people were killed.
Implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has been a main focus
A key goal of the office has been fully implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which President Biden signed into law in 2022. For example, the office worked with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to introduce a rule designed to ensure proper enforcement of a section of the BSCA that broadened the category of firearms dealers required to register for a Federal Firearms License and conduct background checks.
The BSCA also allocated $250 million in federal funding for community violence intervention groups. Since then, the DOJ has distributed a total of $400 million through its Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative.
The office has established connections with stakeholders across the country
Beyond policy actions, the office has worked to bolster connections between the federal government and politicians and gun reform advocates across the country. The office started the Safer States Initiative to partner with state legislators working to pass gun reform laws in their states. The partnerships have resulted in the passage of 17 laws so far, Jackson said.
The office has also convened an event at the White House for people affected by gun violence. Napper-Williams attended an event in the spring for mothers from Black and Brown communities who had lost children to gun violence.
The office faces an uncertain future
With the November election coming up, the future of the office hangs in the balance. The office is funded by money Congress appropriates to the White House each year. Vice President Kamala Harris currently oversees the office, and many stakeholders are optimistic that she would retain the office and potentially expand its capacity if elected as president. On the other hand, they fear that Donald Trump would shutter the office, since he is aligned with the NRA and other gun rights lobbyist groups that have criticized its existence.
“We can’t predict what will happen, but we do know the [previous Trump] administration has been very clear that they’ve done nothing on this issue on purpose, so I think that’s a clear indicator of what the future could be or could hold for these types of efforts,” Jackson said.
Shannon Chaffers is a Report for America corps member who writes about gun violence for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
