On Thursday, President Joe Biden presented a grim list of gun deaths and promised to New Yorkers that the federal government would intensify its fight against gun violence. He said that it would work more closely with the police and communities in order to end the rising bloodshed.
“It’s enough. Biden stated that enough was enough to police, officials from law enforcement and legislators who gathered at the police headquarters in the city. “We can change this.”
Biden’s crimefighting strategy is heavily reliant on the support of local and state officials. He suggests ways to spend federal funds and expands upon existing initiatives. These modest initiatives show the limitations of what Biden can accomplish when Congress is not willing to pass gun legislation.
Biden arrived in New York one day after the funeral of the second New York City officer killed in a domestic violence incident on Jan. 21. Officials closed the event to make it to the hospital. A second officer was being released from another shooting.
The president was able to counter Republicans’ claims that he is soft on crime and distance himself from Democrats who want to shift funding from police departments to social programs.
Biden stated that the answer to this problem is not to defund police. It is to provide you with the tools, training, and funding to partner, protect, and know your community.
Biden went through the numbers, citing how 316 people were shot each day and 106 deaths. This includes 26 children who have been killed in gun violence this year. A New York 11-month-old girl was injured by a stray shot and a teenager fast food cashier were both killed last month. This year, 32 officers have been killed and 32 others were injured in line of duty.
Biden is trying to navigate complex politics. He’s looking for ways to fight crime and push for more accountability following high-profile police killings of Blacks.
Biden stated, “The answer isn’t to abandon our streets.” “The answer is to join together, policing our communities, building trust, and making us all more secure.”
The majority of Thursday’s talk was focused on improving policing. Recent attempts to strengthen legislative action have been unsuccessful, even though 20 children and six adults were murdered in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown.
Biden, like previous Democratic presidents, called for Congress to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. He also mentioned the powerful gun lobby, which has been successful in reducing any attempt to control guns, and that points towards the Second Amendment right of bear arms.
Biden insists that there is no absolute amendment. “When the amendment passed, it didn’t say that anyone could own a gun – any type of gun – or any weapon.”
New York legislators, Attorney General Merrick Galrland, Governor. Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Eric Adams (a former police captain). Adams was once a vocal critic of his own police department. Adams was also beaten as a teenager by police. Adams presented himself as someone who can bridge the gap between New York Police Department and activists seeking major change.
Adams stated, “We are aware of how serious this moment can be,” and told Biden, “Mayor Adams is reporting for duty, prepared to serve.”
Biden attended a gun violence strategy partnership meeting. This is a daily gathering of federal, state, and local leaders who share intelligence on specific cases. Biden then went to Queens school to learn firsthand about the efforts to prevent violence from frontline violence intervention group.
The debate centers on guns as the nation struggles with the homicides spike that occurred in 2020, the last year of Trump’s administration. According to a January report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, gun violence and suicides in 2018-19 accounted for 75% of U.S. homicides.
As Americans purchase record numbers of firearms in 2020, this is a good thing. Last year, law enforcement officers found a record number of firearms and discovered more firearms without serial numbers. This makes them difficult to trace. Early data indicates that the time between gun purchase and use in crime, and when it was recovered by police has been shorter than in previous years.
The Biden administration has increased its enforcement of the law against “ghost gun” traders. These are homemade firearms without serial numbers that can be traced and often bought without background checks.
The Justice Department is working hard to prevent guns from being moved north along the “iron pipe” that runs parallel to Interstate 95. It connects Southern states with strict gun laws with those in the north. Federal prosecutors will prioritise cases involving gun-smuggling and violent crime. If Biden has a budget, they will assign agents to this task.
Federal strike forces are sent to New York City and other locations in an effort to crack down on gun trafficking. Federal agents are embedded within homicide units of police departments across the United States, as well as the U.S. The Marshals Service conducts regular fugitive sweeps in order to arrest those with outstanding federal or state warrants.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BOTFE) will host a number of police officers from across the country in May to discuss ways to reduce gun violence. Since 2013, however, the agency has not had a permanent leader. Biden’s first nominee for the position, an ATF agent from the past who advocated stricter gun control, was pulled in September amid opposition by Republicans and moderate Democrats. No new nominee has been announced.
Biden also suggested a significant increase in dollars for local police programs. If his social spending agenda was to be passed, more money would be available. However, that effort is still stalled in Congress.
He encouraged cities to use some of their COVID-19 assistance money for policing. He also advocated alternative steps for crime reduction, such as increased community support, summer jobs for teens and better resources for people who are released from prison.
He said, “When someone is out of prison, you can’t give them $25 dollars and a bus ticket.” They must be able to find stable housing, get a job and reenter society.