White House tackles anxiety around gun violence: ‘Too many children dying’

Though some trends of gun violence incidents are declining in the United States, it remains a top concern for the White House as administration officials continue to work on solutions to dramatically reduce the number of American lives killed by firearms.

Despite gun-related homicides and injuries decreasing by 8-10% in 2023 year over year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, nearly 19,000 people died by gun violence last year. 

Notably, data consistently shows Black Americans are disproportionately impacted. A report from The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence found that Black people were twice as likely to die by a firearm. 

To tackle the prevalence of gun violence across the country, which is happening on city streets and homes to churches and schools, the Biden-Harris administration’s White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention has been working to solve America’s gun epidemic. 

Since being created in September, the office, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, convened several White House meetings and traveled around the U.S. to engage with state elected officials, advocates, community leaders, and victims of gun violence in hopes of solving one of the nation’s most pressing crises. 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed in June 2022 and became the first major comprehensive gun reform approved by Congress in nearly 30 years. The federal government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars toward reducing gun violence, increasing funds for background checks, and supporting grassroots organizations already on the ground in communities working to combat the violence.

Most recently, the White House announced new actions to promote the safe storage of firearms. The efforts include partnering with the U.S. Department of Education to encourage school administrators and educators to urge parents and guardians to keep guns at home unloaded and securely locked away from youth.

“There are too many…