Executive Action
On April 8, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced six initial actions to address the gun violence public health epidemic. The recent high-profile mass shootings in Boulder – taking the lives of 10 individuals – and Atlanta – taking the lives of eight individuals, including six Asian American women – underscored the relentlessness of this epidemic. Gun violence takes lives and leaves a lasting legacy of trauma in communities every single day in this country, even when it is not on the nightly news. In fact, cities across the country are in the midst of a historic spike in homicides, violence that disproportionately impacts Black and brown Americans. The President is committed to taking action to reduce all forms of gun violence – community violence, mass shootings, domestic violence, and suicide by firearm. You can see the President’s statement here.
The Biden-Harris Administration also issued a Fact Sheet providing details on their investments in Community Violence Interventions. You can find that Fact Sheet here.
The Biden-Harris Administration has also issued a Fact Sheet on steps taken to prevent suicide, including promoting safe storage of firearms. You can find that Fact Sheet here.
The Biden-Harris Administration framework for Build Back Better includes $5 billion for community violence prevention efforts.
Federal Legislation: 2022 & 2023 Legislative Sessions
On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act after the the House and the Senate approved the measure. The package represents the most significant federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994.
The package includes $750 million to help states implement and run crisis intervention programs, which can be used to manage red flag programs, as well as for other crisis intervention programs such as mental health, drug and veteran courts.
Red flag laws, approved by the federal measure, are also known as Extreme Risk Protection Order laws. They allow courts to temporarily seize firearms from anyone believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
The legislation encourages states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which would provide a more comprehensive background check for people between 18 and 21 who want to buy guns.
It also requires more individuals who sell guns as primary sources of income to register as Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers, which are required to administer background checks before they sell a gun to someone.
The law bars guns from anyone convicted of a domestic violence crime who has a “continuing serious relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.” The law, however, allows those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes to restore their gun rights after five years if they haven’t committed other crimes.
In 2023 we joined with our nationwide coalition partners to add our name to a letter to all members of Congress to urge them to take action on:
✅ S.25 and H.R.698— Assault Weapons Ban of 2023 (Feinstein/Cicilline-McBath)
✅ S.173 and H.R.660 — Ethan’s Law for Safe Gun Storage (Blumenthal/DeLauro)
✅ S.2048 and H.R.4184 — Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act (Blumenthal/Schiff)
✅ S.494 — Background Check Expansion Act (Murphy), H.R.715 — Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023 (Fitzpatrick), and H.R.2403 — Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2023 (Clyburn)
✅ S.2638 and H.R.5003 — Break the Cycle of Violence Act (Booker/Horsford)
✅ S.1026 and H.R.2390 — Gun Violence Prevention Research Act of 2023 (Markey/Slotkin)
Also in 2023, we signed onto a letter to urge President Biden to return export controls from the Commerce Department to the State Department. Please read this Bloomberg article and Senator Warren’s press release on why we have been pushing for this change since President Biden was elected.