Policy Report on Joe Biden and Gun Violence

Written and edited by Meyer Hirsch 
June 17, 2024

In September 2023, President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to reduce gun violence and implement key executive and legislative actions to save lives.

  • The Office is overseen by Vice President Harris, with Stefanie Feldman as Director, and Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox as Deputy Directors.

The Office builds on historic actions by President Biden, including:

  • Signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years.
  • Taking meaningful executive actions to make schools, churches, grocery stores, and communities safer.


    The Biden-Harris Administration's implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes:

  • Keeping guns out of the hands of individuals under 21 who are prohibited from purchasing firearms.
  • Empowering the Justice Department to prosecute firearms traffickers.
  • Improving access to mental health services in schools.
  • Investing in community violence interventions.

The Administration has announced dozens of executive actions to:
  • Keep especially dangerous weapons and repeat shooters off the streets.
  • Hold rogue gun dealers and gun traffickers accountable.
  • Provide law enforcement with tools and resources to reduce gun violence.
  • Address the root causes of gun violence.
  • ​The Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives proposed a rule to reduce the number of guns sold without background checks.

President Biden continues to call on Congress to take additional actions, including:
  • Banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
  • Requiring safe storage of firearms.
  • Requiring background checks for all gun sales.
  • Eliminating gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.
  • Enacting his Safer America Plan to increase police presence for accountable, community policing, and invest in gun violence prevention and intervention.



  • In the Rose Garden, Biden emphasized his administration's relentless efforts to address gun violence, joined by lawmakers and families of gun violence victims.

The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris, leveraging her experience as a former prosecutor.

The office's goals include:
  • Ensuring full nationwide implementation of a bipartisan gun safety law passed last year.
  • Implementing Biden’s executive actions to stop gun violence.
  • Finding new actions the White House can take unilaterally.
  • Building better support systems in states and cities.
  • Coordinating support for families affected by mass shootings and violence.
  • Biden acknowledged the office's limitations, as tighter restrictions or an assault weapons ban require congressional legislation, which seems unlikely given the current political climate.

  • As of Friday, there have been at least 35 mass killings in the U.S. in 2023, resulting in at least 171 deaths, excluding shooters.
    • Vice President Harris noted the disproportionate impact of gun violence on communities of color and emphasized the need to resist normalizing such violence.

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022):
Funding: $750 million to incentivize states to create "red flag laws."
Goal: Temporarily confiscate firearms from dangerous individuals.

Biden's Legislative Efforts:
  • Calls for reinstating a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
  • Push for legislation requiring background checks for gun purchases.
  • Faces resistance from Republicans in Congress.

Biden’s Engagement with Black Voters:
Highlighted a "small business boom" among Black-owned businesses during his presidency.

Gun Violence Trends:
2023 Decrease: Overall gun violence dropped by 12.4%.
Major Cities: Baltimore, St. Louis, and Detroit saw reductions.
Attributed to: Historic investments in community violence prevention and American Rescue Plan law funding.
Office's Future Goals:
Identify further actions to reduce gun violence.
Expand partnerships with local and state leaders.
Increase federal support for victims and families of gun violence.


Proposed Rule:
  • Likely to face court challenges from gun rights activists and organizations.
  • The National Rifle Association and National Shooting Sports Foundation have indicated plans to challenge the rule.
  • Biden administration officials are confident the rule will withstand lawsuits.

Public and Legislative Background:
  • Rule was proposed in August after a bipartisan gun violence bill was passed in response to the Uvalde, Texas school massacre.
  • The law expanded the definition of those “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, requiring them to be licensed and conduct background checks.
Impact and Implementation:
  • Rule to take effect 30 days after being published in the Federal Register.
  • Expected to impact over 20,000 unlicensed dealers who sell firearms without performing background checks.
  • There are currently about 80,000 federally licensed firearms dealers.
Exemptions:
  • Instances where a license is not required, such as occasional resales to family members or liquidating personal collections.
Opposition and Support:
  • Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are attempting to block the rule, but the effort is unlikely to succeed.
  • Gun control advocates praised the regulation as a step towards universal background checks.
  • Angela Ferrell-Zabala of Moms Demand Action called it a massive victory for safer communities.
Recent ATF Data:
  • Recent ATF data shows over 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms came from unlicensed dealers over five years.
  • These firearms were used in nearly 370 shootings between 2017 and 2021.

Extra Resources:
https://apnews.com/article/biden-administration-background-checks-atf-rule-70261cc0512eea8d52ef9585a9a48ab2 
https://www.gunsdownamerica.org/campaigns/biden-report-card/ 
https://apnews.com/article/biden-guns-gun-violence-mass-shootings-5a72e3730b6d24b2143f034a9ee6ed21 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ogvp/#:~:text=In%20September%202023%2C%20President%20Biden,been%20taken%20to%20save%20lives. 
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-biden-administration-announces-rule-that-will-require-more-background-checks-on-gun-buyers