WASHINGTON D.C., DC — President Joe Biden announced the White House’s first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention on Friday, just days before the one-month mark of the racist mass shooting at a local Dollar General.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan visited the nation’s capitol, with elected leaders from across the country, for the announcement.
President Biden said the new office will focus on executive and legislative approaches to reducing gun violence in America.
They’re also expanding help for survivors of gun violence and people impacted by shootings.
“I’m proud to announce the creation of the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The first office in our history,” Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the office, with a goal of cracking down on so-called “ghost” guns and gun trafficking and addressing the root causes of gun violence.
“Our nation is being torn apart by the tragedy of it all and torn apart by the fear and trauma that results from gun violence,” Harris said.
The early months of Mayor Deegan’s administration were marked by a racist mass shooting that took the lives of three black people, as well as continuous, nearly daily shootings.
Duval voters polled by the University of North Florida answered crime is one of the biggest issues facing the River City.
Before the announcement, Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath reflected on the murder of her son Jordan Davis at a Jacksonville gas station in 2012.
She said her family’s story is becoming all too common in America.
“Gun violence has no boundaries,” McBath said. “From the suburbs to the cities to rural America, over 100 families a day are living their worst nightmare.
Moms Demand Action member Katie Hathaway said no one action will solve the problem overnight, but it’s a start.
“This just shows that the Biden-Harris administration is prioritizing our gun violence epidemic,” Hathaway said, “and it’s going to save lives.”
The president’s proposal was met with instant push back by Second Amendment Rights groups, including the NRA which called the announcement a distraction from the problem of crime.