Biden creates White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
The office will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris


President Biden announced Friday that his administration was creating the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, described as the first of its kind in American history.
The office will "drive and coordinate a government and a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in America," Biden said while announcing the initiative at the White House. In creating the office, the president said he is "determined to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country. It matters."
"After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message — the same message heard all over the country, and I’ve been to every mass shooting: Do something. Please do something," Biden said. The president added that his administration had "announced dozens of executive actions to reduce gun violence — more than any of my predecessors at this point in their presidencies."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The office will be helmed by Vice President Kamala Harris, who said in her own remarks that she would "use the full power of the federal government to strengthen the coalition of survivors and advocates and students and teachers and elected leaders to save lives."
The creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention comes after the passage of the Safer Communities Act, bipartisan legislation passed in 2022 that enhances gun control laws and school safety. Biden is continuing to urge Congress to pass additional legislation, most notably universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. These actions were not taken when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress and appear unlikely to occur now given the current Republican control of the House.
This year has seen a continued spike in gun violence across the country. There have been at least 506 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive — more than one per day on average.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs