Trump closes Biden administration gun violence prevention office – Washington Examiner

Gun violence prevention activists are reacting strongly to President Donald Trump’s recent decision to close the White house Office of Gun⁣ Violence Prevention, an initiative ‌set up by former President Joe Biden aimed at implementing gun‍ reforms at various governmental levels. The office’s official website ⁢now ⁤leads to ‌a 404 error, and ‌Trump’s governance has not clarified the reasons behind its closure or any‌ potential plans for a new gun violence initiative.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), a survivor of gun violence, condemned the move, arguing it undermines efforts to save American ‌lives.‌ he noted⁤ that the⁣ office had been instrumental in reducing shooting ​fatalities in cities like ​Orlando. Critics, including Frost, suggest that Trump’s ⁤action, which was followed by⁢ a⁣ tragic murder-suicide incident in Nashville, prioritizes the interests of the gun lobby over community safety.

Kris brown, president of​ the ‍advocacy group Brady,‍ emphasized that the office was vital for enhancing government efforts to protect citizens from gun violence. Activists assert that despite the closure, the pursuit⁤ of sensible gun reform must continue, calling ⁤for bipartisan ⁤support for community ⁢safety measures.


Trump rankles activists by closing Biden’s gun violence prevention office

Gun violence prevention activists are outraged after President Donald Trump shuttered an office set up by former President Joe Biden to promote common sense gun reforms at the federal, state, and local levels.

The website for the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was active prior to Trump’s inauguration, now directs to a 404 error message. Trump officials did not answer questions about why the page was closed or if the president plans to launch a revamped gun violence prevention program.

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Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), himself a survivor of gun violence, railed against Trump’s decision earlier this week.

“It’s completely abhorrent that the president on Day Two gets rid of an office that literally saves American lives,” he said in an interview with a local Florida television station. “We’re going to fight to get it back.”

Frost argued that Biden’s office helped drive down shooting deaths in cities like Orlando and claimed that some Republican lawmakers have criticized Trump’s decision to close the White House office behind closed doors.

“Donald Trump’s reckless decision to close the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is a betrayal of the American people. This office was saving lives, not playing politics,” Frost’s office said in a statement. “We need leaders on both sides of the aisle to prioritize the safety of our communities. The fight for common-sense gun reform is far from over.”

Trump’s decision drew further scrutiny after a Tennessee teenager committed a murder-suicide at Antioch High School in Nashville on Wednesday. Two years prior, Nashville was similarly rocked after a shooter killed three elementary school students and three faculty members before being killed by police. Biden awarded the responding police officers with the nation’s highest honor for public servants in the final weeks of his office.

Kris Brown, president of gun violence prevention group Brady, claimed in a statement that Trump’s decision to shutter OGVP shows he’s “putting the interests of the gun lobby above our kids, our communities, and our country.”

“The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention wasn’t about politics — it was about strengthening the government’s ability to protect Americans (more than 300 of whom are shot every single day) from guns. By shuttering it, Trump is putting the interests of the gun lobby above our kids, our communities, and our country. Trump can claim he will ‘make America safe again,’ but these words are empty without action on guns. Trump’s decision today — coupled with the release of gun-wielding domestic terrorists back on our streets — will make all of us less safe,” Brown said.

Giffords, the gun safety organization stood up by former Rep. Gabby Giffords following a 2012 mass shooting that left her gravely injured, similarly accused Trump of bowing to the gun lobby.

“Donald Trump promised gun company CEOs that he would weaken gun laws,” the organization wrote on X. “Closing the Office of GVP would mean more guns will fall into the wrong hands and more innocent Americans will lose their lives.”

Biden poured hundreds of millions into the White House gun office in an effort to expand on the Safer Communities Act, a bipartisan gun safety bill the former president signed into law halfway through his term. The office worked with state and local municipalities to expand background checks, implement new “commonsense” reforms, and stop the proliferation of so-called ghost guns, privately manufactured firearms without federal serial identification numbers.

Still, the National Rifle Association heavily pushed Trump on the campaign trail to roll back the Biden-era gun policies. In a statement, the organization praised Trump’s decision, claiming the office would “infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of peaceable Americans.”

“With [Trump] taking office, there will be a dramatic shift in Second Amendment policy,” the NRA wrote on X. “Joe Biden pushed an extreme anti-gun agenda, while Donald Trump has promised to take actions that will affirmatively protect and advance the right to keep and bear arms.”

Gun safety advocates said they expected Trump to quickly target Biden’s violence prevention policies and OGVP specifically, but Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt claimed the movement is in “better shape” than when Trump first entered office in 2017.

“We’ve been at this road before,” he said in a January interview. “Democrats are now completely solid on the issue of gun safety. Our grassroots army has grown substantially in the last eight years and is almost three times the size of the NRA.”



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