Office of Gun Violence Prevention | The White House:

The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years. This legislation is already saving lives by keeping guns out of the hands of individuals under 21 who are prohibited from purchasing firearms, empowering the Justice Department with new authorities to prosecute firearms traffickers, improving access to mental health services in our schools to help young people deal with the trauma and grief resulting from gun violence, and investing in community violence interventions.

This past week I was invited to the White House to take part in a regional (Rhode Island and Connecticut) meeting of community leaders and White House officials to talk about the impact that federal funds reinvested in our state are making. There was a long list of impacts and leaders from Rhode Island included legislators and a wide range of non-profits. 

The presentation that made the biggest impact on me was the one by Greg Jackson, the Deputy Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. First, I didn’t know there was such an office. Secondly I was taken with Mr. Jackson’s passion about the issue and equally with the process they’ve made in the year since the office was created.

Using the example of the mass shooting in Lewiston Maine earlier this year, the Office is now coordinating responses across multiple federal agencies to such tragedies. Prior to this the events were handled exclusively by law enforcement with no focused support for the victims (counseling and medical services) and ameliorating the impact on the community (business disruption, jobs lost, housing needed, etc.) Rather than treating these tragedies as separate, unrelated events, there’s now a process that responds in a wholistic way.

I’m grateful to have had the chance to learn about this. And on this MLK day, when we remember a prophetic voice taken from us by hatred and gun violence, I’ll be giving thanks to God that we’re making new progress dealing with this scourge.