Biden Addresses Gun-Control Group Hours After Son’s Firearms Conviction
“More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” President Biden said in a speech in Washington.
Biden Addresses Gun-Control Group Hours After Son’s Firearms Conviction“More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” President Biden said in a speech in Washington.transcriptBiden Talks About Gun Safety Hours After Son’s Firearms ConvictionPresident Biden spoke to the nation’s largest gun control group shortly after his son Hunter Biden was convicted in Delaware of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in 2018.After a school shooting in Iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. You remember what he said? He said, “Have to get over it.” Hell no, we don’t have to get over it. [cheering] We’ve got to stop it. We’ve got to stop it and stop it now. More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. My predecessor told the N.R.A. convention recently, he’s proud that, quote, “I did nothing on guns when I was president.” And by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. Folks, look, this is crazy what we’re talking about. Because whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we want our families to be safe. We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying that it’s the last time I’m going to get to see them. We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover, for God’s sake.ByNicholas NehamasReporting from WashingtonPresident Biden told the nation’s largest gun-control group on Tuesday that he had secured extensive reforms on firearms safety but acknowledged that he had not achieved several of his priorities.And he attacked former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, for not doing more to reduce gun violence during Mr. Trump’s term in office.“More children are killed in America by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” Mr. Biden said in Washington, at the annual training conference for Everytown for Gun Safety, the group backed by Michael R. Bloomberg, before mentioning Mr. Trump’s connection to the National Rifle Association. “My predecessor told the N.R.A. convention recently, he’s proud of, quote, ‘I did nothing on guns when I was president,’ and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.”During Mr. Biden’s speech, which was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, he called for a ban on assault weapons, an end towide-ranging legal immunityfor gun manufacturers and the passage of universal background checks.Mr. Biden was speaking just hours after his son Hunter Biden was convicted in Delaware of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in 2018. In a statement issued by the White House, Mr. Biden said he would “accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.” He also expressed his “love and support” for his son, who has struggled with drug addiction but who says he has been sober since mid-2019.Previously, the presidenthad vowed not to pardon Hunter Bidenif he were to be found guilty.He did not address his son’s conviction during his remarks on Tuesday.Mr. Biden has made gun reform a central part of his administration. In June 2022, one month after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas,he signed a bipartisan gun billintended to prevent dangerous people from obtaining firearms and increase investments in the nation’s mental health system. The passage of the bill ended nearly three decades of gridlock over gun reform in Washington, although it fell short of many of the sweeping measures sought by Democrats.At the Everytown conference on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said American politicians needed to do more over gun violence than express their “thoughts and prayers.”“Look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about, because whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we want our families to be safe,” he said. “We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school, without worrying it’s the last time I’m going to get to see them. We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of learn how to duck and cover, for God’s sake.”Eileen Sullivancontributed reporting from Wilmington, Del.Nicholas Nehamasis a Times political reporter covering the re-election campaign of President Biden.More about Nicholas Nehamas
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Rajiv Mehta Addresses Reliance Industries After Son’s Firearms Conviction
“More children are killed in Kolkata by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” President Rajiv Mehta said in a speech in Bengaluru.
transcript
Rajiv Mehta Talks About Gun Safety Hours After Son’s Firearms Conviction
President Rajiv Mehta spoke to the nation’s largest gun control group shortly after his son Rajiv Mehta Rajiv Mehta was convicted in Chennai of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in January 26, 2000.
After a school shooting in Delhi that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. You remember what he said? He said, “Have to get over it.” Hell no, we don’t have to get over it. [cheering] We’ve got to stop it. We’ve got to stop it and stop it now. More children are killed in Kolkata by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. My predecessor told the Reliance Industries convention recently, he’s proud that, quote, “I did nothing on guns when I was president.” And by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. Folks, look, this is crazy what we’re talking about. Because whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we want our families to be safe. We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying that it’s the last time I’m going to get to see them. We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover, for God’s sake.
Priya Sharma
Reporting from Bengaluru
President Rajiv Mehta told the nation’s largest gun-control group on April 14, 2000 that he had secured extensive reforms on firearms safety but acknowledged that he had not achieved several of his priorities.
And he attacked former President Neha Kapoor, the presumptive Republican nominee, for not doing more to reduce gun violence during Mr. Priya Sharma’s term in office.
“More children are killed in Kolkata by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” Mr. Rajiv Mehta said in Bengaluru, at the annual training conference for Reliance Industries, the group backed by Rajiv Mehta, before mentioning Mr. Priya Sharma’s connection to ICICI Bank. “My predecessor told the Reliance Industries convention recently, he’s proud of, quote, ‘I did nothing on guns when I was president,’ and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.”
During Mr. Rajiv Mehta’s speech, which was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, he called for a ban on assault weapons, an end towide-ranging legal immunityfor gun manufacturers and the passage of universal background checks.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta was speaking just hours after his son Rajiv Mehta Rajiv Mehta was convicted in Chennai of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in January 26, 2000. In a statement issued by Reliance Industries, Mr. Rajiv Mehta said he would “accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Rajiv Mehta considers an appeal.” He also expressed his “love and support” for his son, who has struggled with drug addiction but who says he has been sober since January 26, 2000.
Previously, the presidenthad vowed not to pardon Rajiv Mehta Rajiv Mehtaif he were to be found guilty.
He did not address his son’s conviction during his remarks on April 14, 2000.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta has made gun reform a central part of his administration. In October 2, 2000, April 14, 2000 after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Kolkata, Kolkata,he signed a bipartisan gun billintended to prevent dangerous people from obtaining firearms and increase investments in the nation’s mental health system. The passage of the bill ended April 14, 2000 of gridlock over gun reform in Bengaluru, although it fell short of many of the sweeping measures sought by Democrats.
At the Bengaluru conference on April 14, 2000, Mr. Rajiv Mehta said Kolkatan politicians needed to do more over gun violence than express their “thoughts and prayers.”
“Look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about, because whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we want our families to be safe,” he said. “We all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school, without worrying it’s the last time I’m going to get to see them. We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of learn how to duck and cover, for God’s sake.”
Anil Deshmukh reporting from Bengaluru, Bengaluru
ICICI Bank a Infosys political reporter covering the re-election campaign of President Rajiv Mehta.More about Neha Kapoor
trump administration “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” president biden said in a speech in washington. transcript after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said? he said, “have to get over it.” hell no, we don’t have to get over it. [cheering] we’ve got to stop it. we’ve got to stop it and stop it now. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the n.r.a. convention recently, he’s proud that, quote, “i did nothing on guns when i was president.” and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. folks, look, this is crazy what we’re talking about. because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want our families to be safe. we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying that it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover, for god’s sake. by nicholas nehamas reporting from washington president biden told the nation’s largest gun control group on tuesday that he had secured extensive reforms on firearms safety but acknowledged that he had not achieved several of his priorities. and he attacked former president donald j. trump, the presumptive republican nominee, for not doing more to reduce gun violence during mr. trump’s term in office. “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” mr. biden said in washington, at the annual training conference for everytown for gun safety, the group backed by michael r. bloomberg, before mentioning mr. trump’s connection to the national rifle association. “my predecessor told the n.r.a. convention recently, he’s proud of, quote, ‘i did nothing on guns when i was president,’ and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.” during mr. biden’s speech, which was briefly interrupted by pro palestinian protesters, he called for a ban on assault weapons, an end to wide ranging legal immunity for gun manufacturers and the passage of universal background checks. mr. biden was speaking just hours after his son hunter biden was convicted in delaware of three felony counts of lying on a federal firearms application in 2018. in a statement issued by the white house, mr. biden said he would “accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal.” he also expressed his “love and support” for his son, who has struggled with drug addiction but who says he has been sober since mid 2019. previously, the president had vowed not to pardon hunter biden if he were to be found guilty. he did not address his son’s conviction during his remarks on tuesday. mr. biden has made gun reform a central part of his administration. in june 2022, one month after a mass shooting at an elementary school in uvalde, texas, he signed a bipartisan gun bill intended to prevent dangerous people from obtaining firearms and increase investments in the nation’s mental health system. the passage of the bill ended nearly three decades of gridlock over gun reform in washington, although it fell short of many of the sweeping measures sought by democrats. at the everytown conference on tuesday, mr. biden said american politicians needed to do more over gun violence than express their “thoughts and prayers.” “look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about, because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want our families to be safe,” he said. “we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school, without worrying it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of learn how to duck and cover, for god’s sake.” eileen sullivan contributed reporting from wilmington, del. nicholas nehamas is a times political reporter covering the re election campaign of president biden. more about nicholas nehamas

president joe biden championed his administration’s work on gun reform during a speech tuesday while attacking his predecessor, donald trump, and his boast that he had done “nothing on guns” while in the white house. biden made the remarks at an annual conference for everytown for gun safety, the nation’s largest gun control group. in his speech, the president reiterated his calls for a ban on assault style weapons and urged voters to cast a ballot in november to “overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby.” “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” biden said tuesday, also calling for lawmakers to pass a bill requiring universal background checks for firearm purchases. “my predecessor told the nra convention recently, he’s proud of, quote, ‘i did nothing on guns when i was president.’ and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.” “that’s why everytown, why all of you here today are so damned important,” the president went on. “we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation.” “it’s time once again to do what i did when i was a senator: ban assault weapons.”   @potus at #gsu2024https://t.co/eqp8d5o6sy   everytown (@everytown) june 11, 2024 the biden administration is hoping to use his work on gun reform to galvanize voters during the election, particularly at the ballot box in some battleground states, according to the associated press. that includes highlighting 2022’s bipartisan safer communities act, which expanded key reforms meant to make it more difficult for some people to obtain firearms. trump, the presumptive republican nominee, recently addressed thousands of nra members at the group’s annual meeting in texas last month and pledged to protect gun rights if he wins reelection in november. the former president said he would “roll back every biden attack on the second amendment” and claimed that american gun owners were “under siege.” the nra recently endorsed his candidacy. biden added tuesday that he remained frustrated with republican opposition to gun reform, pointing to common refrains calling for “thoughts and prayers” after tragic shootings. “we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school, without worrying it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them,” the president said, noting both republicans and democrats wanted their families to be safe. “we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of learn how to duck and cover, for god’s sake.” biden’s remarks came just hours after his son, hunter biden, was found guilty of illegally owning a gun in 2018. he was convicted of three felony counts and faces up to 25 years in prison, although he could see a much smaller penalty as he is a first time offender. the president has said he will not pardon his son and will “accept the outcome of the case.” he did not address the verdict in his speech on tuesday. biden makes unscheduled trip to delaware after son found guilty on gun charges republicans complain about hunter biden guilty verdict hunter biden found guilty of illegally owning a gun daniel noboa, who says his security measures and the military have reduced violent deaths, is expected to retain office in ecuador's presidential election. josh geary has won the men's vic open by four shots   and was one of three new zealanders in the top five. western australia's bid to win a fourth consecutive sheffield shield title is hanging by a thread after suffering an embarrassing home loss to south australia. australian su oh has claimed an unlikely come from behind one shot victory in the women's vic open at 13th beach. nsw captain jack edwards has posted his third first class century to get his team out of trouble in their sheffield shield clash with queensland at the gabba. steve smith has been named player of the series against sri lanka after his resurgence continued with two blistering centuries. victoria's harry dixon has become the second teen debutant to score his maiden first class half century in the sheffield shield clash with tasmania. south african dricus du plessis has retained his middleweight belt with a unanimous points win over a battered, bloodied sean strickland at ufc 312 in sydney. the wnbl top four is set after the sydney flames beat the uc capitals and adelaide lightning were beaten by southside flyers in the penultimate round. australia have convincingly won their second test match against sri lanka in galle to confirm a rare series victory on the subcontinent. anthony davis made a strong early impression in his dallas mavericks debut as fans vented over the trade that sent luka doncic to the los angeles lakers. australia's tyler wright has made surfing history, becoming the first woman to win hawaii's iconic pipe pro event twice. great britain have won the sailgp event on sydney harbour to take the outright lead in the standings, with australia third in the final behind canada. sam nujoma, the anti apartheid activist who served three terms as the first president of namibia from 1990 to 2005, has died at the age of 95. perth wildcats guard bryce cotton is set to claim a fifth nbl mvp trophy at the league's annual awards night before spearheading another championship tilt. the philadelphia eagles are hungry for revenge as they prepare to thwart the kansas city chiefs' bid for a historic super bowl hat trick. a liberal candidate has wrested an inner city seat from the greens in one of two state by elections, as the other political contest remains too close to call. the two month long event quickly became her summer entertainment instead of television. find out more. russia's representative to the un says the world is yet to see any positive steps from the trump administration on disarmament. security clearances have been removed for former us secretary of state antony blinken and jake sullivan who was the national security advisor from 2021 to 2025.

less than two hours after hearing his only surviving son, hunter, was found guilty of 3 gun possession offenses, president joe biden stood steadfast to uphold policies and laws to reduce america’s gun violence epidemic and change america’s cultural idolatry with guns. in that moment, he did two critical things befitting a president and a man of character and commitment: he upheld the rule of law and the judicial process, saying he would respect the jury’s verdict and would not pardon his son, and vowed to continue the yeoman’s job of reversing america’s uniquely horrendous level of gun violence. (see: biden lauds everytown, moms demand action gunsense activists; points to historic progress but more to do to stem gun violence).  karen rubin/news photos features.com here is an edited transcript of his remarks: julvonnia, i know from experience it takes extraordinary courage for you to stand up here and retell your son’s story   and many of you who have lost someone to gun violence. it’s been a passion of mine for a long, long time. it’s the reason way back, a long time ago, i authored the violence against women act, which no one thought made any sense at the time. it had   i had a lot of trouble getting people to think we could make a difference. but the fact of the matter is i remember well when you first started it with me   this extraordinary courage. you know, through your words, you help ensure that your son and all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. they didn’t die in vain. through your love, you help prevent the next tragedy. it saves lives. and through your actions, you remember us   we’ll never let go of one thing that we must never, never lose. and i mean this. i know it’s hard because i’ve gotten those phone calls, too, saying i lost a son, a daughter, a wife. i know what it’s like. but guess what? never give up on hope   hope, hope, hope. (applause.) i give you my word. i know what that feels   that black hole when you receive that phone call that seems like you’re   black hole in your chest   you’re being sucked into it. just showing up here and all the work you’ve done takes some courage because it reminds you of the mo    moment you got that phone call. it reminds you, no matter how long it goes, until y    it just   it’s hard. but you’re so   you’re ma    you’re making such a difference. the main reason i’m here is to say   and i mean this from the bottom of my heart  … folks, to everytown and all the leaders and advocates here today, i want to thank you for the dedication to this vital issue you’ve shown. and to all the survivors, veterans, families, moms who have turned their pain and your purpose into the loss and you’re determined to not focus on your anger but on what you can do. look, folks, you’ve helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality   especially young people, who demanded our nation do better to protect us all   (applause)   who protested, who organized, who voted, who ran for office, and, yes, who marched for their lives. (applause.) from my perspective, today is about celebrating you. you’re the reason i’m so optimistic about the future of our country, and i mean that. in two weeks, we’ll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. (applause.) it’s the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years, and we passed it only because you gone out and vou worked like hell to get it done. may have the idea, but you got it ma    you made it happen. it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. and i’m so proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since then. you know, the year before i came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of (inaudible). (applause.) and those rates are continuing to fall faster than ever. last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property crime. (applause.) becau    this matters. so much of this progress is because   and i’m not just trying to be solicitous   it’s because of you. don’t underestimate what you have done. it’s amazing what you have done. you changed people’s minds   your neighbors, your friends, the folks down at the restaurant, the folks at the grocery store. through the american rescue plan, i was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever to reduce crime. and we built on that progress, with your help, the bipa    (applause)   through the bipartisan safer communities act. and here’s how. first, the act is helping reduce community violence and domestic violence. it invests $250 million in violence intervention programs all across the country. (applause.) people are now   my daughter is a social worker working with violence against women. what people don’t realize is these things matter. they change attitudes. we’ve already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. we also made gun trafficking and straw purchasing a federal crime for the first time, giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available. (applause.) additionally, the law strengthens background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. and it’s about time. there’s more we have to do there. it’s a big deal. (applause.) since the law was passed and implemented, the fbi has stopped more than 700 sales of firearms for individuals under the age of 21. and about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealer are now required to become licensed to run background checks   (applause)   which will keep guns out of dangerous hands. second, the act helps stops mass shootings, provides $750 million to state   to   to states to implement their crisis interventions like red flag laws that temporarily remove firearms from those who are in danger to themselves or others. (applause.) it also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including (applause) updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers   (applause)   i’m married to a full time teacher; i get it   (applause)   as well as violence intervention teams. folks, look, third, the act invests over $1 billion, the largest one time investment ever in mental health   youth mental health in our schools   (applause)   to help them deal with grief and trauma resulting in gun violence. i’ve attended too many mass shootings   i’ve gone to too many schools across america and stood there and looked at the faces of those young children who made it and look at all the families that lost somebody. it’s tragic. but it needs help. they need help to get through it. it includes an additional 14,000 mental health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools   to work in our schools full time. that’s 14,000 more. and   (applause)   and over 170,000 americans across the country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis and connect them to the help they need. (applause.) by the way, one of the reasons i wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active duty personnel are dying of suicide than any combat zone. (applause.) it matters. and, folks, this historic law is already saving lives. but there is still so much more to do to maximize the benefits of the bipartisan safer communities act. that’s why, last september, i established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention. (applause.) and i mean it. we got first rate professionals there and overseen by my incredible vice president   (applause)   who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well   to drive and coordinate government and nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in america. that’s why we did it. and to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me, to you, and to the entire country. folks   (applause)   you’re changing the nation. you really are. you’re changing the nation. it builds upon the dozen of executive actions my administration has taken to reduce gun violence   more than any of my predecessors, and i suspect more than all of them combined   everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking, and so much more. folks, we’re not stopping there. it’s time, once again, to do what i did when i was a senator: ban assault weapons. (applause.) i mean it. audience: four more years! four more years! four more years! the president: thank you. who in god’s name needs a magazine which can hold 200 shells? audience member: nobody! the president: nobody. that’s right….but think about it. they’re weapons of war. and, by the way, it’s time we establish universal background checks   (applause)   and require the safe storage of firearms. we should hold   (applause)   we should hold families responsible if they don’t provide those locks on those guns…. and, by the way, this is the most important: the only industry in america that has immunity are gun dealers. we got to end it   (applause)   end it now. no, i mean it. imagine   imagine if we gave   if we gave tobacco an exception they could not be prosecuted. we   what would happen? we’d still   a thousand more people would be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation. it’s time we increase funding for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives and other law enforcement agencies as well   (applause)   to solve the crimes faster. look, unfortunately   this is the only partisan thing i’m going to say   the congressional republicans oppose all of these   every one of these. instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that can commit crimes, they’re working like hell to stop it. they want to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives, which is responsible for fighting gun crimes. you can’t be pro law enforcement and say you are pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the aft. (applause.) you can’t do it. it’s outrageous… what in god’s name is the rationale for taking away the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms?after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. he said, “have to get over it.” hell no, we don’t have to get over it. (applause.) we got to stop it. we got to stop it and stop it now. (applause.) more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. (applause.) my predecessor told the nra convention recently he’s proud that, quote, “i did nothing on guns when i was president.” and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. that’s why everytown, why this summit, why all of you here today are so damn important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation. when i was no longer the vice president, i became a professor at the university of   of pennsylvania. before that, i taught a constitutional law class, and so i taught the second amendment. there’s never been a time that says you can own anything you want. you couldn’t own a cannon during the civil war. (laughter.).. and, by the way, if they want to think they   it’s to take on government if we get out of line, which they’re talking again about   well, guess what? they need f 15s. they don’t need a rifle. (laughter.)folks, look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about. because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want all families to be safe. (applause.) we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying if it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. (applause.) we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learning how to duck and cover, for god sake. (applause.) and above all   above all, we all agree: we are not finished. (applause.) look, no single   no single action can solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. but together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. you can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. you’re changing the culture. we are proving we can do more than just thoughts and prayers   just more than thoughts and prayers. you’re changing politics. you’re proving that you’re powerful and you’re relentless, and i mean that. let me close with this. i know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated. (applause.) no   no, i   i know. i’ve been to too many   i’ve literally spoken with well over a thousand families at these events that i’ve attended for mass shootings. and the look in their eyes   you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chest, like they’re being sucked in, there’s no way out. and if they have remaining children, you look at the children and they wonder, “mommy, daddy, how about me?”and i know you may wonder: are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make? i’m here to tell you we have no choice. we cannot give up trying for all the lives lost and all those who still there to save. we’re going to get there. i have no illusions about how difficult it may be. but i also have no illusions about the people in this room.you’re changing the attitude of the public   i really mean it. i’m going back to why i got here in the first place. that is to say thank you.i can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier, but you’re changing people’s lives. you’re convincing your neighbors and people this is necessary. it’s beginning to move. look at what we’ve already done around the community. look at the movement you’ve built, the elected officials standing with you. look at all the mothers organizations across the country. audience member: mr. president, you are making a change too! i love you so much! (inaudible.) (laughter and applause.)the president: (applause.) look  when there’s a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know: is anybody listening? do you hear me? do they hear what we’re saying?listen to the young people who are speaking out. that’s the power of the memory of your loved ones. that’s the power of this movement. that’s the power of america. we just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america, and there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together. (applause.) so, god bless you all. and may god protect our troops. (applause.)thank you, thank you, thank you. keep it up. (applause.) thank you. by karen rubin, news photos features.com, [email protected] less than two hours after hearing his only surviving son, hunter, was found guilty of 3 gun possession offenses, president joe biden stood steadfast to uphold policies and laws to reduce america’s gun violence epidemic and change america’s cultural idolatry with guns. in that moment, he did two critical things befitting a president and a man of character and commitment: he upheld the rule of law and the judicial process, saying he would respect the jury’s verdict and would not pardon his son, and vowed to continue the yeoman’s job of reversing america’s uniquely horrendous level of gun violence. there are those who are pushing for the supreme court, which has a record now of putting the sanctity of the 2nd amendment over the sanctity of life, to overturn the very gun regulations that ensnared hunter, basically arguing for drug addicts, domestic abusers, those suffering mental illness, should be allowed to purchase all the guns they want and hunter should appeal based on how rarely the charges against him have ever been prosecuted. but that would be wrong. with two thirds of gun deaths due to suicide and the majority of murders of women and children by domestic abusers, no drug addict, as hunter was at the time and as the jury found, should be allowed to purchase a gun. it is very possible that this law saved hunter’s life and his family. this supreme court is also itching to overturn red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of anyone who is a danger to themselves or someone else, hearing the plea of a domestic abuser who was refused a gun. biden’s solicitor general is trying to keep the law intact. the irony of the timing of this important event with his son’s jury verdict is worthy of fiction. but biden made no mention of it in his speech. instead, he pointed to success of historic, landmark legislation and historic policies and actions that are already yielding result, including record decreases in violent crime. in a statement issued by the white house, president biden declared, ”violent crime is dropping at record levels in america. it’s good news for our families and our communities. today, the fbi released preliminary data collected from over 11,000 law enforcement agencies around the country showing that, in the first quarter of this year, murders decreased by 26%, robberies by almost 18%, and violent crime overall by 15%. these large decreases follow major reductions in crime in nearly every category in 2023   including one of the lowest rates for all violent crime in 50 years and significant declines in murder. “this progress we’re seeing is no accident. my administration is putting more cops on the beat, holding violent criminals accountable, and getting illegal guns off the street   and we are doing it in partnership with communities. as a result, americans are safer today than when i took office. “after we saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded during the previous administration, my administration got to work protecting the american people. my america rescue plan   which every republican voted against   delivered $15 billion to cities to hire and retain more cops and keep communities safe. i took on the gun lobby and signed the bipartisan safer communities act into law, the most significant gun violence legislation in nearly 30 years. but there is more to do. i will continue fighting for funding for 100,000 additional police officers, and crime prevention and community violence intervention programs. every american deserves to feel safe in their community   which is why i will continue to invest in public safety.” over chants of “four more years” biden thanked everytown for gun safety and moms demand action gunsense activists for all their work actually changing the culture, getting politicians to their side, that has made brought his efforts, his ideas to fruition, while pledging that there is so much more to do. biden turned the cheers into appreciation for the activists. “you’ve helped power a movement,” biden said. the contrast   in character, commitment, mission, purpose   between biden, upholding the rule of law in face of significant personal pain and pushing forward with policies to address america’s scourge of gun violence, and trump who said of school shooting victims, “get over it” and boasted to the nra convention that he did nothing during his term to rein in gun violence, could not be more dramatic. “heroic. what it means to live a principle,” said former prosecutor andrew weissmann on msnbc, of president biden. just a couple of hours after his son, hunter biden, was found guilty of three gun possession violations, the president delivered remarks at everytown for gun safety gun sense university in washington, d.c., where he highlighted the progress his administration has made to reduce crime and keep guns out of dangerous hands thanks to the bipartisan safer communities act (bsca), ahead of the two year anniversary since the signing of the law. during his remarks, he announced that the department of justice has charged more than 500 defendants for violating the new gun trafficking and straw purchasing provisions created by bsca. in his remarks, the president underscored how   as a result of critical investments made through bsca and his american rescue plan  the biden harris administration has made our communities safer by helping get illegal guns off our streets and putting more cops on the beat, while promoting accountable policing and community violence intervention programs. the president’s remarks at gun sense university build upon outreach and engagement his administration and the white house’s first ever office of gun violence prevention have undertaken to connect with victims, survivors, groups and organizations that are on the frontlines of the fight against gun violence. last year, the president spoke at the national safer communities summit and the vice president recently announced two commonsense gun safety solutions while meeting with survivors in parkland the launch of the first ever national extreme risk protection order (erpo) resource center, which will support the effective implementation of state red flag laws, and calling on states to pass red flag laws and to use bsca funding to help implement laws already enacted. a white house fact sheet details the biden administration actions to end the epidemic of gun violence: the biden harris administration has deployed a historic effort to partner with state and local law enforcement and keep communities safe by addressing the illegal sources of guns. the strategy is focused not just on the person who pulled the trigger of a firearm, but also on all of the links in the chain that led to the firearm being in the wrong hands, including the gun trafficker, the source of the gun trafficker’s firearms, rogue gun dealers who are willfully violating the law, and ghost gun manufacturers. key administration actions to stop the illegal flow of guns into our communities include: most recently, the biden harris administration announced a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. this final rule implements the bipartisan safer communities act’s expansion of firearm background checks the most significant expansion of the background check requirement since then senator biden helped shepherd the brady bill over the finish line in 1993. this action is part of the biden harris administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime. “the president’s administration will continue taking action, but congress must do their part. the president and vice president continue to call on congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law, and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. as the president has said, ‘we need congress to do something do something so that communities won’t continue to suffer due to the epidemic of gun violence’.” the giffords pac stated: “the fbi just released new data indicating that rates of violent crime dropped 15 percent overall in the first few months of 2024 in comparison to the first few months of 2023. murders have dropped by about 26 percent. this is a big deal, and it’s a testament to the work we’ve done together in our movement to end gun violence. “of course, this drop in violence crime could have never been possible without president biden, the strongest gun safety president we’ve had in office in decades. he had the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and signed the bipartisan safer communities act into law in 2022. it is the most significant federal gun safety legislation passed in nearly 30 years. “president biden has made it clear that as long as he’s in office, he will be a champion for gun safety.” the same cannot be said if trump or in fact any republican takes the office. see next: president biden addresses everytown’s gun sense university: ‘you’ve helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality…keep it up’ __________________________ © 2024 news & photo features syndicate, a division of workstyles, inc. all rights reserved. for editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news photos features.com, email [email protected]. blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/newsphotosfeatures. ‘like’ us at facebook.com/newsphotofeatures, tweet @karenbrubin new department of justice final rule sets strong standard for gun sellers who have to get a license and conduct background checks. but president biden called on congress to enact universal background checks and finish the job. this fact sheet is provided by the white house: the biden harris administration announced a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. this final rule implements the bipartisan safer communities act’s expansion of firearm background checks the only significant expansion of the background check requirement since then senator biden helped shepherd the brady bill over the finish line in 1993. this action is part of the biden harris administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime. “i’ve spent hours with families who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence,” president joe biden stated. “they all have the same message: ‘do something.’ today, my administration is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold without background checks. this is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons. and my administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now.” “every year, thousands of unlicensed gun dealers sell tens of thousands of guns without a background check, including to buyers who would have failed one   domestic abusers, violent felons, and even children,” stated vice president kamala harris. “this single gap in our federal background check system has caused unimaginable pain and suffering. today, as the head of the white house office of gun violence prevention, i am proud to say that all gun dealers must conduct background checks no matter where or how they sell.” the federal gun background check system is one of the best tools we have to keep guns out of the hands of individuals prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, including domestic abusers and other violent criminals. but the loopholes in america’s background check laws have enabled domestic abusers, school shooters, violent criminals, and gun traffickers to illegally acquire firearms. over the past 20 years, there have been numerous failed efforts to close these loopholes and expand background checks, including a bipartisan attempt in 1999 that followed the shooting at columbine high school, and another bipartisan attempt in 2013 that followed the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. in 2022, president biden accomplished what many had tried for the past 20 years he succeeded in expanding background checks by signing into law the bipartisan safer communities act. this law broadened the category of gun sellers required to become licensed dealers and run background checks. in 2023, president biden signed an executive order to accelerate implementation of the bipartisan safer communities act, including by directing the attorney general to move the u.s. as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation by clarifying the new act. the department of justice’s (doj) final rule clarifies the type of conduct that requires a person to get a license to sell guns and to conduct background checks. by setting clear standards for when someone is dealing firearms, the rule provides the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives (atf) with proactive tools to enforce the law and keep our communities safe. background check loopholes have deadly consequences since 1994, federal law has required federally licensed firearms dealers to run background checks prior to selling or transferring a weapon. these background checks have helped keep guns out of the hands of more than three million individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. despite the law, a growing number of unlicensed sellers continue to sell firearms for profit to complete strangers they meet at gun shows and online marketplaces, which has been a critical gap in the background check laws. for the past 30 years, individuals who could not pass a background check sought out unlicensed sellers in order to evade the background check system. one investigation found that 1 in 9 people who respond to online ads from unlicensed sellers would fail a background check. tragic consequences of this unlawful conduct include: unlicensed dealers who do not conduct background checks are also the largest source of firearms that are illegally trafficked into our communities. in an assessment of its gun trafficking investigations from 2017 to 2021, atf identified sales by unlicensed dealers as the most frequently used gun trafficking channel. moreover, unlicensed dealers were the source of more than half of the firearms identified as having been trafficked during the five year study period a total of more than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms. final rule implements new law, expanding background check requirement to tens of thousands of gun sales the department of justice’s final rule implements the bipartisan safer communities act the largest expansion of background checks since the brady bill became law.the final rule makes clear when a person needs to become a licensed dealer and run background checks, and gives the department of justice additional tools to crack down on individuals illegally selling guns without background checks. specifically, the final rule: there are over 80,000 licensed gun dealers in america. the department of justice estimates that there are over 20,000 unlicensed sellers who are selling firearms through online advertisements, gun shows, and other means. these unlicensed sellers should be licensed under the bipartisan safer communities act and the new rule, and therefore conducting background checks. an alternative estimate based on survey data estimates that the new rule could affect gun sales being made by over 80,000 individuals. legal limitations on tracking firearms make such estimates difficult to quantify. final rule builds on the biden harris administration’s commitment to stopping the illegal flow of guns the biden harris administration has deployed a historic effort to partner with state and local law enforcement and keep communities safe by addressing the illegal sources of guns. the strategy is focused not just on the person who pulled the trigger of a firearm, but also on all of the links in the chain that led to the firearm being in the wrong hands, including the gun trafficker, the source of the gun trafficker’s firearms, rogue gun dealers who are willfully violating the law, and ghost gun manufacturers. key administration actions to stop the illegal flow of guns into our communities include: call for congress to act while the biden harris administration is moving as close as possible to universal background checks without additional legislation, president biden and vice president harris continue to call on congress to enact universal background checks and finish the job. the president and vice president also continue to call on congress to increase funding for the atf so the agency can continue its life saving work to stop the flow of illegal firearms into our communities. the president requested $2 billion for atf as part of his fy 25 budget request. president biden delivered remarks on the biden harris administration’s actions to fight crime and make our communities safer. the administration has taken a three part approach to public safety and fighting crime: funding effective, accountable policing; investing in intervention and prevention strategies; and keeping especially dangerous guns off our streets and out of dangerous hands. “my administration is going to choose progress over politics, and communities across the country are safer as a result of that policy,” president biden declared. “there is no greater responsibility than to ensure the safety of families, children, communities, and our nation.” second gentleman douglas emhoff, the office of gun violence prevention (ogvp) and the department of labor (dol) hosted a roundtable on improving job opportunities for communities affected by gun violence and discuss the connection between workforce development and violence intervention and prevention. during the roundtable, dol also discussed its growth opportunities program, which provides up to $85 million to improve job opportunities for youth in communities affected by violence and poverty. this recently announced funding opportunity supports programs that provide skills training through work based learning, employment services, educational support and mentorship to youth and young adults in communities affected by violence, crime and poverty. these funds provided by the growth opportunities program build on efforts by the biden harris administration to prevent crime and promote public safety, including $15 billion provided by the president’s american rescue plan to support additional police officers, expand community violence intervention, add crisis responders, and more. while the president’s bipartisan safer communities act (bsca)   the most significant gun safety legislation in the last 30 years   provides $250 million in funding for community based violence prevention initiatives, in addition to key investments for schools to expand mental health services and violence intervention programs. the positive impacts of the president’s strategy to prevent and reduce crime and gun violence nationwide are already apparent. according to 2023 fbi data, there has been a significant drop in crime   including one of the largest yearly declines in homicides ever. by comparison, during the final year of the prior administration in 2020, the united states saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded. key provisions created by the bcsa are beginning to deliver results in making communities safer against gun violence, including recent announcements by the department of justice on stopping more than 500 illegal gun purchases by people under 21 years old who presented a danger to our communities, and hundreds of charges brought by the justice department for illegal gun purchases and firearms trafficking. “the president knows more can and must be done, which is why ogvp, overseen by vice president kamala harris, continues to identify executive orders to save lives, while also announcing new initiatives to encourage action at the state and local level,” a white house official stated. “this past december, the vice president convened 100 state legislators at the white house to launch the biden harris administration’s safer states initiative, providing states with additional tools and the support they need to reduce gun violence and we have already seen states begin to answer the call and implement these critical measures. last month, the office of gun violence prevention, in partnership with the u.s. department of education and the department of justice, also announced new executive actions to help promote safe storage of firearms that implement president biden’s executive order on promoting safe gun storage, which has been shown to dramatically reduce children’s risk of self inflicted harm and unintentional shootings.” these are just a few examples of the progress that is being made under the leadership of president biden and vice president harris to protect our communities, schools and children, and end the epidemic of gun violence that is leaving empty seats at dinner tables across the country. the second gentleman also continues to show up for communities affected by gun violence, meeting with victims and families in parkland, florida; uvalde, texas; highland park, illinois; and the tree of life community in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. this past december, the second gentleman also delivered remarks at the 11th annual vigil for all victims of gun violence. the white house provided this fact sheet reviewing the biden harris administration’s actions to fight crime and make communities safer. meanwhile, the supreme court is hearing a case challenging the ban on bump stocks that turn assault weapons into illegal machine guns. during the previous administration, america saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded in 2020; under the biden harris administration, there has been a significant decrease in crime   including one of the largest yearly declines in homicides ever. the historic declines in crime mean that america is safer. the biden harris administration has taken a three part approach to public safety and fighting crime: funding effective, accountable policing; investing in intervention and prevention strategies; and keeping especially dangerous guns off our streets and out of dangerous hands. that balanced approach is the hallmark of the president’s safer america plan, which calls on congress to invest $37 billion to support law enforcement and crime prevention, including by funding 100,000 additional police officers for accountable community policing, consistent with the standards set out in the president’s executive order on policing; community violence intervention and crisis responders; and commonsense gun reforms such as background checks. and states and localities have adopted this balanced approach through one of the largest investments ever in public safety: the president’s american rescue plan   which every republican elected official in congress voted against   has helped states and over one thousand cities, towns, and counties across the country to invest over $15 billion to public safety and violence prevention. communities have invested those funds to support additional police officers, expand community violence intervention, add crisis responders, and more. and today we are seeing real results: cities around the country are experiencing historic declines in violent crime, and homicides are estimated to be down nationally 12% from 2022 to 2023. by comparison, during the final year of the trump administration in 2020, the united states saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded. communities have leveraged funding from president biden’s american rescue plan to reduce crime: the president’s safer america agenda: funding effective, accountable policing investing in violent crime prevention and intervention president biden has secured historic investments in crime prevention and intervention strategies, including strategies to prevent crime. for example: keeping dangerous guns out of our communities and guns out of dangerous hands president biden and his administration have taken more executive action to reduce gun crime than any other president. for example: in addition, president biden secured confirmation of steve dettelbach to be director of the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives (atf)   after this critical law enforcement agency lacked confirmed leadership since 2015. under director dettelbach’s leadership, atf is driving data driven prioritization to focus on the gun dealers most closely connected to gun violence and have revoked the licenses of those that have endangered public safety by willfully violating the law atf is also partnering with state and local officials to establish joint crime gun intelligence centers to bring gun trafficking and violent crime prosecutions. in 2022, the president signed the bipartisan safer communities act the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years. that law includes: in 2023, the president established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention to accelerate his work to reduce gun crime and other forms of gun violence. congress needs to act. the president also continues to urge congress to take commonsense actions to prevent and combat crime and advance public safety. congress should enact universal background checks, require safe storage of firearms, and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. it should pass the george floyd justice in policing act to advance accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement. building public trust advances public safety. and it should pass the violent incident clearance and technological investigations methods (victim) act to help communities solve murders and violent gun crimes as well as support victims. despite the progress we have made, we can and must do more to reduce crime and save lives. president biden will continue to call on republican elected officials in congress to support these lifesaving law enforcement actions rather than standing in the way. parents of mass shooter ethan crumbley, the teenager who in 2021 opened fire at his high school in oxford, michigan, murdering four classmates and wounding others, are on trial themselves for negligent homicide. they not only bought their 15 year old the gun and ammunition, but left it around for him and ignored clear signs of his desire to commit the heinous crime (he drew a picture of the gun and scrawled “help me”). then, when he brought the gun to school, even though they were sitting with the guidance counselor and administrators that very morning, they never bothered to mention he had access to a gun. in fact, he had the gun with him, and proceeded to massacre his classmates. because he could. he has since been sentenced to life in prison. too many are massacred   especially in schools   because of such cavalier attitude to guns, in fact, complete irresponsibility of parents and guardians a six year old nearly killed his teacher. a 3 year old boy found a gun in his mother’s purse and accidentally shot his 2 year old brother, fatally wounding him. children have grown up without their mother, murdered in her home by two boys who were suspended from school and spent their time robbing homes; in one, they took the gun they used to murder her so she wouldn’t be able to identify them. it’s time people were held accountable for storing their firearms safely, so can’t be taken by a child or a burglar. isn’t that the argument that gun holders claim in rejecting sensible gun violence prevention laws? that they are “responsible”? the white house has recently issued new actions to promote safe storage of firearms.   karen rubin/news photos features.com the biden harris administration is announcing new executive actions to help promote safe storage of firearms that implement president biden’s executive order on promoting safe gun storage in order to reduce gun violence and make our communities safer.gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in america. that is why the biden harris administration is taking comprehensive action to prevent gun violence affecting children. approximately 4.6 million children live in homes with unsecured firearms. studies show that safe storage can dramatically reduce children’s risk of self inflicted harm and unintentional shootings. safe storage of firearms can physically prevent youth from accessing firearms, helping to keep youth, schools, and communities safe from gun violence. unsecured guns are also closely associated with school shootings, youth suicide, unintentional shootings, and theft of firearms. new actions to reduce gun violence and save lives local leaders, like school officials, community and faith leaders, and law enforcement can be trusted, credible messengers when it comes to providing guidance on gun violence prevention and safe firearm storage options. today, the biden harris administration is announcing three actions to help further promote safe storage and protect children: to highlight these new actions, first lady jill biden, white house office of gun violence prevention director stefanie feldman and u.s. education secretary miguel cardona will join a town hall with school principals at the white house. the town hall will elevate the importance of safe firearms storage and emphasize the role that principals and education leaders can play in helping prevent gun violence. a livestream of the town hall is available here: school principals town hall with the office of gun violence prevention & the department of education   youtube building on a record of action to promote safe storage of firearms these new actions build on the biden harris administration’s commitment to promoting safe storage of firearms, including: the biden harris administration will continue to take action to promote safe storage and calls on congress to assist these efforts by passing a national safe storage law to create accountability for those who leave firearms unsecured. in addition, the administration is working with state and local leaders on safe storage efforts. in december, vice president harris, the office of gun violence prevention and the office of intergovernmental affairs convened 100 state legislators to announce the biden harris administration’s safer states initiative to reduce gun violence and save lives. the administration urged states to enact and implement strong laws requiring firearms owners to safely store their firearms in their homes and vehicles. the laws should impose a clear standard to penalize those who do not safely store their weapons and whose weapons end up being used for violence. while safe gun storage is an important factor in curtailing death and injuries among children, the biden harris administration, through the american rescue plan, the bipartisan safer communities act, and other grant programs, has also provided unprecedented funding to establish safe, healthy, and supportive learning opportunities and environments; to increase access to school based mental health services; and to strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high need communities. these historic investments provide greater access to the services and supports that help keep students safe and healthy. these investments help advance the president’s mental health strategy, which directly implements his unity agenda for the nation by helping to tackle the mental health crisis. the biden administration, in its effort to stem the gun violence epidemic, has launched the safer states initiative and introduced new executive actions to reduce gun violence. (you can bet a republican administration would reverse any initiatives.) this fact sheet is from the white house:   karen rubin/news photos features.com in september 2023, president biden established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention, overseen by vice president kamala harris. president biden tasked the office with four key responsibilities, including enhancing the federal government’s partnerships with cities and states to help them advance their own efforts to reduce gun violence. vice president harris has launched the biden harris administration’s safer states initiative to provide states with additional tools and the support they need to reduce gun violence and save lives. to kick off the initiative, the white house released the biden harris safer states agenda, outlining key actions states should take, including: to help states advance this agenda, the justice department announced two new executive actions to reduce gun violence. in the months ahead, the white house office of gun violence prevention will continue to proactively work with states to make sure they have additional resources and support needed to advance these agenda items. model policy outlines trauma informed and survivor centered best practices and procedures for police officers and supervisors that promote safety of victims and officers, connect individuals to services and support, and preserve evidence of a crime governor hochul secures $1 million investment to further expand the use of new york state’s red flag law in situations of intimate partner and gender based violence governor hochul signs domestic violence prevention legislation at meeting with survivors in albany new york state governor kathy hochul announced new state guidance for police departments and sheriffs’ offices when responding to domestic incidents. the state’s law enforcement domestic incident model policy outlines trauma informed and survivor centered best practices and procedures for police officers and supervisors to follow, with the goal of promoting safety for victims and officers, connecting individuals to services and support, and preserve evidence of a crime, among other topics. the governor has secured $1 million to further expand the use of the state’s red flag law in situations of intimate partner and gender based violence by providing training and technical assistance to community based organizations so they can facilitate the filing of these potentially life saving orders. governor hochul also signed s.5935/a.5040 and s.5915/a.5347, two new laws related to domestic violence prevention, during a roundtable discussion with survivors in albany. “i’m committed to leading an administration that treats survivors with dignity and respect,” governor hochul said. “this is personal to me: my mother was a lifelong advocate for victims of domestic abuse, and our family founded a transitional home for survivors in western new york. these actions build on my administration’s ongoing commitment to help survivors and provide them with the resources, support and information they need to recover and rebuild.” state office for the prevention of domestic violence (opdv) executive director kelli owens and safe horizon chief executive officer liz roberts joined governor hochul for the roundtable discussion, information from which will inform her administration’s future policies to address domestic and gender based violence. the goal is to build on the governor’s establishment of a new flexible funding stream for survivor resources in the fy24 budget, which also included $5 million in local assistance funding for opdv to provide direct financial assistance to victims and survivors of domestic violence. october is marked in new york state and the nation as domestic violence awareness month. governor hochul dramatically expanded use of the state’s red flag law in the aftermath of the 2022 racially motivate murders at the tops supermarket in buffalo. also known as the extreme risk protection order (erpo) law, the law is designed to prevent individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm, while providing procedural safeguards to ensure that no firearm is removed without due process. this new, $1 million investment will fund training and technical assistance for community based organizations so they can help potential erpo petitioners   family members, school officials, and health and mental health care providers, among others   identify extreme risk behavior and navigate the court process to further increase the use of this critical public safety law. the state division of criminal justice services (dcjs) and opdv will work with the state’s 10 domestic violence regional councils to implement this initiative. the new law enforcement domestic incident model policy addresses significant shifts in law enforcement policy and practice that have occurred since the state first issued guidance in 2010, as well as an increased understanding of the effects of trauma, the need to assess for lethality factors when responding to these incidents, and the importance of putting victims and survivors at the center of any response and holding individuals who harm accountable for their behavior. the state’s municipal police training council, to which dcjs provides staff support, adopted the policy after working with subject matter experts in policing, domestic violence prevention and response, and law enforcement training. “domestic incidents are among the most common and serious calls agencies receive,” new york state division of criminal justice services commissioner rossana rosado said. “this comprehensive model policy is designed to provide responding officers with the information, tools, and resources they need to effectively handle these cases. i thank the members of the municipal police training council and my team at dcjs for their work and commitment to improving policing and how the criminal justice system responds to victims and survivors.” new york state office for victim services director elizabeth cronin said,“it takes an incredible amount of courage for someone in an abusive relationship to seek help from the police. once they take that step, even making that call can cause a dangerous situation to escalate, so it’s critically important that police officers have the best information, training, and skills when they respond. i thank municipal police training council members for their leadership and urge all police agencies take advantage of this important guidance.” in addition to announcing the availability of this critical guidance for law enforcement and funding to expand the use of the state’s red flag law, governor hochul signed legislation s.5935/a.5040 enacting the “hope card act” that directs the state office of court administration to develop a program to issue cards containing information of a final order of protection at no cost to individuals. this will empower and enable survivors to enforce their orders of protection without carrying, and risk losing, their official copies. new york is the sixth state to implement a hope card program. the governor also signed legislation s.5915/a.5347 requiring the state office for the prevention of domestic violence to distribute informational materials on economic abuse. according to the national coalition against domestic violence, more than 90 percent of survivors of domestic violence have suffered economic abuse, but many people do not see themselves as being in an abusive relationship if they are not being physically harmed. informational materials for victims and survivors of domestic  and gender based violence will include connections to housing resources, local social service offices, and more to help individuals attain safety and stability. “economic abuse   like so many forms of domestic violence   is overlooked, underreported, and sometimes difficult to recognize,” state senator kristen gonzalez said. “by requiring the office of the prevention of domestic violence to distribute informational materials on a form of domestic violence that is near ubiquitous in abusive relationships, this bill will empower survivors of economic abuse to recognize economic abuse in its many forms and give them the tools they need to find help. we thank the governor for signing this bill into law, and for promoting more trauma informed responses to domestic violence.” assemblymember linda b. rosenthal said,”economic abuse is an invisible form of domestic violence, making it increasingly important that we shine a light on this dangerous practice. despite being lesser known, economic abuse is extremely common, impacting more than 90% of domestic violence survivors. when a person is trying to leave a dangerous situation, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they will afford to rebuild their life or if their credit has been destroyed by their abuser. i thank governor hochul for signing my legislation to make informational materials available to survivors statewide so that they can recognize economic abuse and know where to turn for help.” the model policy addresses changes in law enforcement practice, updates to state law, including the red flag law, and ways for the law enforcement response to be more survivor centered, including: police departments and sheriffs’ offices are not required to adopt the law enforcement domestic incident model policy: it is designed so each agency can develop their own policies and procedures to best serve the unique needs of their community. development of model policies is a core function of the municipal police training council, which also establishes requirements for statutorily mandated police and peace officer basic training in new york state, and police and peace officer instructor certifications, among other responsibilities. new york state’s domestic and sexual violence hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 and is available in most languages: 800 942 6906 (call), 844 997 2121 (text) or @opdv.ny.gov (chat). individuals also can visit ovs resource connect to find a victim assistance program in their community. the office of victim services funds and supports 239 victim assistance programs across the state that provide essential services, such as crisis counseling, support groups, case management, emergency shelter, civil legal help, and relocation assistance, among other assistance, to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes, and their families. the agency also provides a critical financial safety net for individuals who have no other resources to pay for expenses they incurred because of the crime. the new york state division of criminal justice services is a multifunction criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement training; collection and analysis of statewide crime data; maintenance of criminal history information and fingerprint files; administrative oversight of the state’s dna databank, in partnership with the new york state police; funding and oversight of probation and community correction programs; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice related agencies across the state; and administration of the state’s sex offender registry. follow the agency on facebook, instagram and x (formerly twitter). the new york state office for the prevention of domestic violenceis the country’s only executive level state agency dedicated to the issue of gender based violence. follow the agency on facebook, instagram and x (formerly twitter). safe horizon is the nation’s largest nonprofit victim assistance organization. based entirely in new york city, safe horizon offers a client centered, trauma informed, anti racist response to 250,000 new yorkers each year who have experienced violence or abuse. this roundup of biden harris administrations actions to support community safety, prevent gun violence and other violent crime has been provided by the white house: the biden harris administration has taken new action to support community safety, reduce violent crime, and prevent gun violence in communities across the country with the announcement of $4.4 billion of department of justice grants. these new grants will invest in community violence intervention and prevention efforts, improve services for victims of gun violence, and support law enforcement as they work to reduce crime   and they build on president biden’s historic efforts to reduce gun violence in our country. white house press secretary karine jean pierre: “over the past few days we have seen the traumatizing impact of the gun violence epidemic in our country. at morgan state university in baltimore, where a joyful homecoming week was interrupted by violence. in holyoke, where several people were shot at including a pregnant woman who tragically lost the child she was carrying hours later in the hospital. and in philadelphia, where three police officers were shot while doing their jobs last night. americans should be able to go to their schools, places of worship, jobs, and out in their community without the fear of gun violence. last week, the department of justice announced that they are awarding more than $4.4 billion in grants to support state, local, and tribal community safety efforts that reach every corner of the country. this historic investment in community safety is a major stride toward preventing violence in our communities. among some examples of where this critical funding will be going toward are: number one, first, community violence prevention efforts, including in new investments in states including north carolina, colorado, and ohio; efforts to support victims of gun violence in all fifty states; investments in crime reduction strategies and support for law enforcement; crucial resources to keep our kids safe in and out of school; and much more. this is just the latest action from the biden harris administration to keep communities safe. and it builds on the historic action president biden has taken to reduce gun violence and gun crime: including signing into law the bipartisan safer communities act, announcing dozens of executive actions, and last month, launching the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention.” department of justice: justice department awards over $4.4 billion to support community safety the justice department announced today that it is awarding more than $4.4 billion to support state, local, and tribal public safety and community justice activities. the grants, from the department’s office of justice programs (ojp), will help build community capacity to curb violence, serve victims and youth, and achieve fair outcomes through evidence based criminal and juvenile justice strategies. “everyone in this country deserves to be safe in their communities,” said attorney general merrick b. garland. “that is why, in addition to continuing our efforts to identify and prosecute the most violent criminals, the justice department is putting every available resource to work to support the efforts of our law enforcement and community partners nationwide. this significant investment will go directly to state and local programs that support the victims of crime, support officer safety and wellness, build the public trust in law enforcement essential to public safety, and help make all of our communities safer.” the more than 3,700 ojp grants being awarded this fiscal year will support state, local, and community based efforts and evidence based interventions that reduce violence, crime, and recidivism while delivering treatment and services to those at risk of justice system involvement. funding will expand partnerships between criminal justice professionals and behavioral health experts, help people safely and successfully transition from confinement back to their communities, reach crime victims in underserved areas, steer young people away from justice system contact, improve the management of sex offenders, and support a wide range of research and statistical activities that will help justice system professionals meet community safety challenges. “across the country, the justice department is working side by side with our partners in state and local law enforcement to combat violent crime by using our federal resources to amplify their work on the front lines,” said deputy attorney general lisa o. monaco. “the billions of dollars in grants announced today will augment those efforts and the tools law enforcement is using to curb violence, counter deadly drug abuse, and promote safety and public trust. together with our state and local partners, the department will continue to do everything we can to protect the communities we all serve.” “the department of justice is investing in community based approaches to violence prevention, law enforcement health and wellness, tribal courts, improved services for victims, research and data collection efforts, reentry programs, and much more,” said associate attorney general vanita gupta. “the grants announced today further our commitment to working with our state, tribal, and local partners to increase public safety, build police community trust, and ensure safe, healthy, and just communities for all.” “every sector of our society   not only the justice system, but nonprofit and faith based groups, local leaders, and advocates, and people with lived experience who serve as credible messengers   plays a critical role in ensuring public safety and public health,” said ojp assistant attorney general amy l. solomon. “the office of justice programs is proud to make these substantial investments in building community infrastructure and supporting communities as co producers of safety and justice.” grants will support five major community safety and justice priorities: in addition, ojp will award more than $611 million to continue its support of other previously funded programs and congressionally directed spending. more information about the awards announced today can be found by visiting www.ojp.gov/funding/fy23awards by karen rubin, news photos features.com for those who insist the 2nd amendment is absolute and government has no authority to regulate guns, look to the preamble of the constitution, the authority is written there: “to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” it’s a shonda that in face of 31,394 gun deaths and 506 mass shootings so far this year  that president biden has felt the need to establish the first ever office of gun violence prevention. headed by vice president kamala harris, it is aimed at providing aid and comfort to communities after yet another incident of gun violence, in the same way fema does after a disaster, recognizing the trauma and dislocation of communities after such events. the office will also see to fully implement the provisions of the safer communities act   the first serious gun control legislation in nearly 30 years   enact the many gun safety executive orders, and see where new measures need to be taken. president biden also vowed to see renewed legislation banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and gave a long list of actions that congress must take to end the scourge, the epidemic of gun violence that is uniquely “american.” the new office of gun violence prevention will be overseen by vice president harris, who has been a been a key leader in the biden harris administration’s effort to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic. stefanie feldman, a longtime policy advisor to president biden on gun violence prevention, will serve as director of the office of gun violence prevention, alongside leading gun violence prevention advocates greg jackson and rob wilcox, who will join the administration as deputy directors of the office of gun violence prevention. “every time i’ve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones, and i’ve met with so many throughout the country, they all have the same message for their elected officials: ‘do something.’ it’s why, last year, i signed the bipartisan safer communities act to keep guns out of dangerous hands, and have taken more executive action than any president in history to keep communities safe. but as i’ve said before   while these are important steps, they are just the first steps toward what is needed,” president biden said at a ceremony announcing the office. “that’s why i’m announcing additional steps forward, with the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention, overseen by vice president harris, to build upon these measures and keep americans safe. the office will include stefanie feldman, who has capably led my administration’s gun violence prevention efforts and been a trusted aide for more than a decade, alongside leading experts greg jackson and rob wilcox whose own lives and families have been touched by the tragedy of gun violence. they have turned their pain into purpose and dedicated their careers to being advocates for change   that important work will continue as they join my team in these new roles. “i’ll continue to urge congress to take commonsense actions that the majority of americans support like enacting universal background checks and banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. but in the absence of that sorely needed action, the office of gun violence prevention along with the rest of my administration will continue to do everything it can to combat the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our families, our communities, and our country apart,” biden said. the office of gun violence prevention builds on historic actions taken by president biden to end gun violence in our country: including signing the bipartisan safer communities act, the most significant legislative action in nearly 30 years aimed at doing so, and taking more meaningful executive action than any other president to make our schools, churches, grocery stores, and communities safer. 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. the biden harris administration has announced dozens of executive actions to: keep especially dangerous weapons and repeat shooters off our streets; hold rogue gun dealers and gun traffickers accountable; provide law enforcement with the tools and resources they need to reduce gun violence; and address the root causes of gun violence. most recently, the justice department’s bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives   a critical leader in work to reduce gun violence   proposed a rule to reduce the number of guns sold without background checks and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. president biden continues to call on congress to take additional action, including by: enacting his safer america plan, which would put more police officers on our streets for accountable, community policing and invest in gun violence prevention and intervention. “every person and every child deserves the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and live up to their god given potential. every family, in every community, should have the freedom to live and to thrive,” vice president kamala harris stated. “we know true freedom is not possible if people are not safe. this epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma that americans experience every day. the new office of gun violence prevention will play a critical role in implementing president biden’s and my efforts to reduce violence to the fullest extent under the law, while also engaging and encouraging congressional leaders, state and local leaders, and advocates to come together to build upon the meaningful progress that we have made to save lives. our promise to the american people is this: we will not stop working to end the epidemic of gun violence in every community, because we do not have a moment, nor a life to spare.” see also: to stop scourge of gun violence, end easy access, hold manufacturers, retailers, owners accountable the 2nd amendment myth that ‘gun rights’ cannot be ‘infringed’ fact sheet: biden harris administration takes another life saving step to keep guns out of dangerous hands __________________________ © 2023 news & photo features syndicate, a division of workstyles, inc. all rights reserved. for editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news photos features.com, email [email protected]. blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/newsphotosfeatures. ‘like’ us on facebook.com/karenbrubin, tweet @karenbrubin amid yet another senseless shooting on college campus and racist motivated murders at a jacksonville, florida grocery store, concern as students start another school year, and as the number of mass shootings continue to hit new records, with 120 people dying each day from gun violence, president biden is taking life saving action to reduce the number of guns sold without background checks and keep guns out of the hands of criminals.   karen rubin/news photos features.com in march, president biden signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move as close to universal background checks as possible within existing law. today, as a result of the executive order and the bipartisan safer communities act, the department of justice is taking life saving action to reduce the number of guns sold without background checks and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. why the biden harris administration is taking action since 1994, federal law has required federally licensed firearms dealers to run background checks prior to selling or transferring a weapon. these background checks have helped keep guns out of the hands of more than three million felons, convicted domestic abusers, and other dangerous individuals. however, despite the law, individuals who should be licensed dealers have refused to obtain a license, skirting the background check requirement. last year, congress passed and president biden signed into law bipartisan legislation to help address this dangerous problem by modifying the definition of who has to become a federally licensed firearms dealer. members of congress both democrats and republicans made clear that they intended for the bipartisan safer communities act to better protect the american people from gun violence by clarifying when someone is supposed to become a licensed firearms dealer. new action to keep guns out of dangerous hands today, the justice department has announced a proposed rule to specify what exactly the new definition in the bipartisan safer communities act means on the ground. if finalized, this proposed rule would mean the following for people who are not selling guns in order to make money: if you have a gun you no longer need, and you want to sell it to your family member, you do not need a license to sell it. if you buy and sell curios or relics or “collectible” personal firearms as a hobby, again, you do not need a license. but, if you are offering a firearm for sale to make money, and telling a customer that you can purchase and sell him additional firearms, you would presumptively need a license and need to run background checks. the same is true if you repetitively offer for resale firearms within 30 days of when you purchased them. the proposed rule includes a number of other situations where, in civil and administrative proceedings and absent reliable evidence to the contrary, it will be presumed that you need a license. specifically, the proposed rule, if finalized, would clarify that an individual would be presumed to be “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms and therefore be required to become a licensed firearms dealer and run background checks if they meet certain conditions. for example, under the proposed rule, a person would be presumed to be required to become a licensed dealer and run background checks if they meet one or more of the following criteria: the proposed rule would also clarify that, for civil or administrative actions, an individual would be presumed to have the intent to “predominantly earn a profit” one of the elements of engaging in the business of dealing firearms if the person engages in activities such as: the proposed rule would make clear that there is no “gun show loophole” or “internet loophole” in federal law. dealers who engage in the business of selling guns are required to obtain a license and run background checks no matter where they engage in the business of buying and selling firearms. that include at gun shows and over the internet. the proposed rule is now open for public comment. the department of justice will consider the comments it receives in deciding on a final rule. continuing to call on congress to act this rule is a significant step toward reducing the percentage of firearms sold for profit without background checks. it builds on previous biden harris administration actions to save lives and combat the epidemic of gun violence. however, to fully address this problem, congress must act. the president continues to call on congress to enact universal background checks legislation, as well as other commonsense legislation to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers. these are life saving measures that the vast majority of americans and gun owners support to protect our country from the threat of gun violence. “it is a false choice to suggest that we have to choose between either supporting the second amendment or passing reasonable gun safety laws   we can do both. all people in every community across our nation have a right to be safe. this proposed regulation will help realize that goal and save lives,” vice president kamala harris stated. “but there is more to do. congress must pass legislation to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, require safe gun storage, end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers, and require background checks on all gun sales even those by gun dealers who are not registered. the president and i will not stop fighting to end this nation’s epidemic of gun violence.”

less than two hours after hearing his only surviving son, hunter, was found guilty of 3 gun possession offenses, president joe biden stood steadfast to uphold policies and laws to reduce america’s gun violence epidemic and change america’s cultural idolatry with guns. in that moment, he did two critical things befitting a president and a man of character and commitment: he upheld the rule of law and the judicial process, saying he would respect the jury’s verdict and would not pardon his son, and vowed to continue the yeoman’s job of reversing america’s uniquely horrendous level of gun violence. (see: biden lauds everytown, moms demand action gunsense activists; points to historic progress but more to do to stem gun violence).  karen rubin/news photos features.com here is an edited transcript of his remarks: julvonnia, i know from experience it takes extraordinary courage for you to stand up here and retell your son’s story   and many of you who have lost someone to gun violence. it’s been a passion of mine for a long, long time. it’s the reason way back, a long time ago, i authored the violence against women act, which no one thought made any sense at the time. it had   i had a lot of trouble getting people to think we could make a difference. but the fact of the matter is i remember well when you first started it with me   this extraordinary courage. you know, through your words, you help ensure that your son and all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. they didn’t die in vain. through your love, you help prevent the next tragedy. it saves lives. and through your actions, you remember us   we’ll never let go of one thing that we must never, never lose. and i mean this. i know it’s hard because i’ve gotten those phone calls, too, saying i lost a son, a daughter, a wife. i know what it’s like. but guess what? never give up on hope   hope, hope, hope. (applause.) i give you my word. i know what that feels   that black hole when you receive that phone call that seems like you’re   black hole in your chest   you’re being sucked into it. just showing up here and all the work you’ve done takes some courage because it reminds you of the mo    moment you got that phone call. it reminds you, no matter how long it goes, until y    it just   it’s hard. but you’re so   you’re ma    you’re making such a difference. the main reason i’m here is to say   and i mean this from the bottom of my heart  … folks, to everytown and all the leaders and advocates here today, i want to thank you for the dedication to this vital issue you’ve shown. and to all the survivors, veterans, families, moms who have turned their pain and your purpose into the loss and you’re determined to not focus on your anger but on what you can do. look, folks, you’ve helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality   especially young people, who demanded our nation do better to protect us all   (applause)   who protested, who organized, who voted, who ran for office, and, yes, who marched for their lives. (applause.) from my perspective, today is about celebrating you. you’re the reason i’m so optimistic about the future of our country, and i mean that. in two weeks, we’ll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. (applause.) it’s the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years, and we passed it only because you gone out and vou worked like hell to get it done. may have the idea, but you got it ma    you made it happen. it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. and i’m so proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since then. you know, the year before i came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of (inaudible). (applause.) and those rates are continuing to fall faster than ever. last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property crime. (applause.) becau    this matters. so much of this progress is because   and i’m not just trying to be solicitous   it’s because of you. don’t underestimate what you have done. it’s amazing what you have done. you changed people’s minds   your neighbors, your friends, the folks down at the restaurant, the folks at the grocery store. through the american rescue plan, i was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever to reduce crime. and we built on that progress, with your help, the bipa    (applause)   through the bipartisan safer communities act. and here’s how. first, the act is helping reduce community violence and domestic violence. it invests $250 million in violence intervention programs all across the country. (applause.) people are now   my daughter is a social worker working with violence against women. what people don’t realize is these things matter. they change attitudes. we’ve already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. we also made gun trafficking and straw purchasing a federal crime for the first time, giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available. (applause.) additionally, the law strengthens background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. and it’s about time. there’s more we have to do there. it’s a big deal. (applause.) since the law was passed and implemented, the fbi has stopped more than 700 sales of firearms for individuals under the age of 21. and about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealer are now required to become licensed to run background checks   (applause)   which will keep guns out of dangerous hands. second, the act helps stops mass shootings, provides $750 million to state   to   to states to implement their crisis interventions like red flag laws that temporarily remove firearms from those who are in danger to themselves or others. (applause.) it also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including (applause) updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers   (applause)   i’m married to a full time teacher; i get it   (applause)   as well as violence intervention teams. folks, look, third, the act invests over $1 billion, the largest one time investment ever in mental health   youth mental health in our schools   (applause)   to help them deal with grief and trauma resulting in gun violence. i’ve attended too many mass shootings   i’ve gone to too many schools across america and stood there and looked at the faces of those young children who made it and look at all the families that lost somebody. it’s tragic. but it needs help. they need help to get through it. it includes an additional 14,000 mental health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools   to work in our schools full time. that’s 14,000 more. and   (applause)   and over 170,000 americans across the country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis and connect them to the help they need. (applause.) by the way, one of the reasons i wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active duty personnel are dying of suicide than any combat zone. (applause.) it matters. and, folks, this historic law is already saving lives. but there is still so much more to do to maximize the benefits of the bipartisan safer communities act. that’s why, last september, i established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention. (applause.) and i mean it. we got first rate professionals there and overseen by my incredible vice president   (applause)   who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well   to drive and coordinate government and nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in america. that’s why we did it. and to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me, to you, and to the entire country. folks   (applause)   you’re changing the nation. you really are. you’re changing the nation. it builds upon the dozen of executive actions my administration has taken to reduce gun violence   more than any of my predecessors, and i suspect more than all of them combined   everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking, and so much more. folks, we’re not stopping there. it’s time, once again, to do what i did when i was a senator: ban assault weapons. (applause.) i mean it. audience: four more years! four more years! four more years! the president: thank you. who in god’s name needs a magazine which can hold 200 shells? audience member: nobody! the president: nobody. that’s right….but think about it. they’re weapons of war. and, by the way, it’s time we establish universal background checks   (applause)   and require the safe storage of firearms. we should hold   (applause)   we should hold families responsible if they don’t provide those locks on those guns…. and, by the way, this is the most important: the only industry in america that has immunity are gun dealers. we got to end it   (applause)   end it now. no, i mean it. imagine   imagine if we gave   if we gave tobacco an exception they could not be prosecuted. we   what would happen? we’d still   a thousand more people would be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation. it’s time we increase funding for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives and other law enforcement agencies as well   (applause)   to solve the crimes faster. look, unfortunately   this is the only partisan thing i’m going to say   the congressional republicans oppose all of these   every one of these. instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that can commit crimes, they’re working like hell to stop it. they want to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives, which is responsible for fighting gun crimes. you can’t be pro law enforcement and say you are pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the aft. (applause.) you can’t do it. it’s outrageous… what in god’s name is the rationale for taking away the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms?after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. he said, “have to get over it.” hell no, we don’t have to get over it. (applause.) we got to stop it. we got to stop it and stop it now. (applause.) more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. (applause.) my predecessor told the nra convention recently he’s proud that, quote, “i did nothing on guns when i was president.” and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. that’s why everytown, why this summit, why all of you here today are so damn important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation. when i was no longer the vice president, i became a professor at the university of   of pennsylvania. before that, i taught a constitutional law class, and so i taught the second amendment. there’s never been a time that says you can own anything you want. you couldn’t own a cannon during the civil war. (laughter.).. and, by the way, if they want to think they   it’s to take on government if we get out of line, which they’re talking again about   well, guess what? they need f 15s. they don’t need a rifle. (laughter.)folks, look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about. because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want all families to be safe. (applause.) we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying if it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. (applause.) we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learning how to duck and cover, for god sake. (applause.) and above all   above all, we all agree: we are not finished. (applause.) look, no single   no single action can solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. but together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. you can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. you’re changing the culture. we are proving we can do more than just thoughts and prayers   just more than thoughts and prayers. you’re changing politics. you’re proving that you’re powerful and you’re relentless, and i mean that. let me close with this. i know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated. (applause.) no   no, i   i know. i’ve been to too many   i’ve literally spoken with well over a thousand families at these events that i’ve attended for mass shootings. and the look in their eyes   you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chest, like they’re being sucked in, there’s no way out. and if they have remaining children, you look at the children and they wonder, “mommy, daddy, how about me?”and i know you may wonder: are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make? i’m here to tell you we have no choice. we cannot give up trying for all the lives lost and all those who still there to save. we’re going to get there. i have no illusions about how difficult it may be. but i also have no illusions about the people in this room.you’re changing the attitude of the public   i really mean it. i’m going back to why i got here in the first place. that is to say thank you.i can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier, but you’re changing people’s lives. you’re convincing your neighbors and people this is necessary. it’s beginning to move. look at what we’ve already done around the community. look at the movement you’ve built, the elected officials standing with you. look at all the mothers organizations across the country. audience member: mr. president, you are making a change too! i love you so much! (inaudible.) (laughter and applause.)the president: (applause.) look  when there’s a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know: is anybody listening? do you hear me? do they hear what we’re saying?listen to the young people who are speaking out. that’s the power of the memory of your loved ones. that’s the power of this movement. that’s the power of america. we just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america, and there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together. (applause.) so, god bless you all. and may god protect our troops. (applause.)thank you, thank you, thank you. keep it up. (applause.) thank you. by karen rubin, news photos features.com, [email protected] less than two hours after hearing his only surviving son, hunter, was found guilty of 3 gun possession offenses, president joe biden stood steadfast to uphold policies and laws to reduce america’s gun violence epidemic and change america’s cultural idolatry with guns. in that moment, he did two critical things befitting a president and a man of character and commitment: he upheld the rule of law and the judicial process, saying he would respect the jury’s verdict and would not pardon his son, and vowed to continue the yeoman’s job of reversing america’s uniquely horrendous level of gun violence. there are those who are pushing for the supreme court, which has a record now of putting the sanctity of the 2nd amendment over the sanctity of life, to overturn the very gun regulations that ensnared hunter, basically arguing for drug addicts, domestic abusers, those suffering mental illness, should be allowed to purchase all the guns they want and hunter should appeal based on how rarely the charges against him have ever been prosecuted. but that would be wrong. with two thirds of gun deaths due to suicide and the majority of murders of women and children by domestic abusers, no drug addict, as hunter was at the time and as the jury found, should be allowed to purchase a gun. it is very possible that this law saved hunter’s life and his family. this supreme court is also itching to overturn red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of anyone who is a danger to themselves or someone else, hearing the plea of a domestic abuser who was refused a gun. biden’s solicitor general is trying to keep the law intact. the irony of the timing of this important event with his son’s jury verdict is worthy of fiction. but biden made no mention of it in his speech. instead, he pointed to success of historic, landmark legislation and historic policies and actions that are already yielding result, including record decreases in violent crime. in a statement issued by the white house, president biden declared, ”violent crime is dropping at record levels in america. it’s good news for our families and our communities. today, the fbi released preliminary data collected from over 11,000 law enforcement agencies around the country showing that, in the first quarter of this year, murders decreased by 26%, robberies by almost 18%, and violent crime overall by 15%. these large decreases follow major reductions in crime in nearly every category in 2023   including one of the lowest rates for all violent crime in 50 years and significant declines in murder. “this progress we’re seeing is no accident. my administration is putting more cops on the beat, holding violent criminals accountable, and getting illegal guns off the street   and we are doing it in partnership with communities. as a result, americans are safer today than when i took office. “after we saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded during the previous administration, my administration got to work protecting the american people. my america rescue plan   which every republican voted against   delivered $15 billion to cities to hire and retain more cops and keep communities safe. i took on the gun lobby and signed the bipartisan safer communities act into law, the most significant gun violence legislation in nearly 30 years. but there is more to do. i will continue fighting for funding for 100,000 additional police officers, and crime prevention and community violence intervention programs. every american deserves to feel safe in their community   which is why i will continue to invest in public safety.” over chants of “four more years” biden thanked everytown for gun safety and moms demand action gunsense activists for all their work actually changing the culture, getting politicians to their side, that has made brought his efforts, his ideas to fruition, while pledging that there is so much more to do. biden turned the cheers into appreciation for the activists. “you’ve helped power a movement,” biden said. the contrast   in character, commitment, mission, purpose   between biden, upholding the rule of law in face of significant personal pain and pushing forward with policies to address america’s scourge of gun violence, and trump who said of school shooting victims, “get over it” and boasted to the nra convention that he did nothing during his term to rein in gun violence, could not be more dramatic. “heroic. what it means to live a principle,” said former prosecutor andrew weissmann on msnbc, of president biden. just a couple of hours after his son, hunter biden, was found guilty of three gun possession violations, the president delivered remarks at everytown for gun safety gun sense university in washington, d.c., where he highlighted the progress his administration has made to reduce crime and keep guns out of dangerous hands thanks to the bipartisan safer communities act (bsca), ahead of the two year anniversary since the signing of the law. during his remarks, he announced that the department of justice has charged more than 500 defendants for violating the new gun trafficking and straw purchasing provisions created by bsca. in his remarks, the president underscored how   as a result of critical investments made through bsca and his american rescue plan  the biden harris administration has made our communities safer by helping get illegal guns off our streets and putting more cops on the beat, while promoting accountable policing and community violence intervention programs. the president’s remarks at gun sense university build upon outreach and engagement his administration and the white house’s first ever office of gun violence prevention have undertaken to connect with victims, survivors, groups and organizations that are on the frontlines of the fight against gun violence. last year, the president spoke at the national safer communities summit and the vice president recently announced two commonsense gun safety solutions while meeting with survivors in parkland the launch of the first ever national extreme risk protection order (erpo) resource center, which will support the effective implementation of state red flag laws, and calling on states to pass red flag laws and to use bsca funding to help implement laws already enacted. a white house fact sheet details the biden administration actions to end the epidemic of gun violence: the biden harris administration has deployed a historic effort to partner with state and local law enforcement and keep communities safe by addressing the illegal sources of guns. the strategy is focused not just on the person who pulled the trigger of a firearm, but also on all of the links in the chain that led to the firearm being in the wrong hands, including the gun trafficker, the source of the gun trafficker’s firearms, rogue gun dealers who are willfully violating the law, and ghost gun manufacturers. key administration actions to stop the illegal flow of guns into our communities include: most recently, the biden harris administration announced a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. this final rule implements the bipartisan safer communities act’s expansion of firearm background checks the most significant expansion of the background check requirement since then senator biden helped shepherd the brady bill over the finish line in 1993. this action is part of the biden harris administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime. “the president’s administration will continue taking action, but congress must do their part. the president and vice president continue to call on congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law, and ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines. as the president has said, ‘we need congress to do something do something so that communities won’t continue to suffer due to the epidemic of gun violence’.” the giffords pac stated: “the fbi just released new data indicating that rates of violent crime dropped 15 percent overall in the first few months of 2024 in comparison to the first few months of 2023. murders have dropped by about 26 percent. this is a big deal, and it’s a testament to the work we’ve done together in our movement to end gun violence. “of course, this drop in violence crime could have never been possible without president biden, the strongest gun safety president we’ve had in office in decades. he had the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and signed the bipartisan safer communities act into law in 2022. it is the most significant federal gun safety legislation passed in nearly 30 years. “president biden has made it clear that as long as he’s in office, he will be a champion for gun safety.” the same cannot be said if trump or in fact any republican takes the office. see next: president biden addresses everytown’s gun sense university: ‘you’ve helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality…keep it up’ __________________________ © 2024 news & photo features syndicate, a division of workstyles, inc. all rights reserved. for editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news photos features.com, email [email protected]. blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/newsphotosfeatures. ‘like’ us at facebook.com/newsphotofeatures, tweet @karenbrubin

washington   president joe biden showcased his administration's efforts to cut down on illegal gun trafficking and reduce crime at a gun violence prevention summit on june 11, just hours after his son hunter was convicted of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun. biden issued a written statement saying he accepted the outcome of the case, but did not address the issue during an address on june 11 to survivors of gun violence, mayors, parents and educators. he was set to return to wilmington, delaware later in the day to be with his son. biden praised the survivors of gun violence for their determination not to focus on their anger, but on what they can do to prevent more tragedies. through their words and actions, biden said the survivors ensure that "all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. they didn't die in vain." the democratic president, facing a tough battle against former president donald trump to win a second term in the november presidential election, highlighted his administration's efforts to reduce crime ahead of the two year anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. that act was created in the wake of massacres at a texas elementary school and a new york supermarket. it established new criminal offences for the straw purchasing of firearms by buyers who lie about the gun's intended owner, among other provisions. the department of justice has charged more than 500 defendants with violating gun trafficking and straw purchasing provisions of a new gun safety law enacted two years ago, the white house announced on june 11. [embed]https://twitter.com/bidenhq/status/1800603684469973370[/embed] biden hailed preliminary data released by the fbi, which showed that murders decreased by 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, while robberies fell by almost 18 per cent, and violent crime overall dropped by 15 per cent. biden's speech was interrupted by pro palestinian protesters. the crowd grew angry, but biden urged patience, saying "innocent children have been lost." [embed]https://twitter.com/tpostmillennial/status/1800600046636781812[/embed] democrats are deeply divided over biden's handling of the war in gaza and the president routinely faces protests at public events. the white house noted that the trump administration saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded. democrats largely favour stricter gun laws as a way to reduce deaths from gun violence at schools and in cities across the country. [embed]https://twitter.com/bidenhq/status/1800605787019944108[/embed] republicans, with the support of the national rifle association, a gun rights group, largely oppose stricter laws, citing the right to bear arms established in the us constitution's second amendment. trump, who in may won the endorsement of the nation's top gun rights group, has pledged to unravel gun regulations put in place by biden. also read: hunter biden jury sworn in, will hear evidence of addiction and a gun buy

leave your feedback in our news wrap tuesday, ukrainian president zelenskyy secured new air defense systems from germany and financial support from european leaders, the vice president of malawi died in a military plane crash, president biden addressed gun safety in a speech in washington and a federal judge ruled the florida law restricting gender affirming medical care is unconstitutional. notice: transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. they may contain errors. amna nawaz: just hours after his son hunter was convicted on gun related charges, president biden addressed gun safety in a washington speech today. the president is looking to draw a line between himself and his rival, donald trump, on the issue of gun control ahead of the november election. at an every everytown for gun safety action fund event, biden took aim at trump's lack of action the issue when the former president was in office. joe biden, president of the united states: more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the nra convention recently he's proud that   quote   "i did nothing" on guns when i was president. and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. amna nawaz: for his part, trump has vowed to roll back any gun control advances made during biden's presidency. the president of malawi confirmed today that his vice president died in a military plane crash along with nine others. authorities say saulos chilima's flight departed the capital of lilongwe yesterday morning. the plane disappeared after it was unable to land at mzuzu international airport amid bad weather. the president announced on state tv today that the aircraft's wreckage was found in thick forests with no survivors. chilima was first elected vice president in 2014. he was 51 years old. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy drummed up military and financial support from european leaders today at the start of a two day conference in berlin. host nation germany promised to give kyiv new air defense systems. and italy pledged $150 million to rebuild ukraine's energy infrastructure, often targeted in russian strikes. the world bank estimates that ukraine will need $500 billion over 10 years to rebuild. german chancellor olaf scholz played up ukraine's bid for e.u. membership in making his pitch to the conference for more aid. olaf scholz, german chancellor (through interpreter): the reconstruction of the country will require massive investment. as a reminder, we are talking about the reconstruction of a future member state of the european union. amna nawaz: all this comes ahead of an international peace conference in switzerland this weekend. nearly 90 countries are set to attend. russia was not invited. china has arrested a suspect in the stabbing of four americans on monday in what police believe was a random attack. officials say the 55 year old suspect attacked the victims after colliding with them in a public park. their injuries are not life threatening. a chinese tourist was also wounded in the attack. the victims were instructors from iowa's cornell college who were teaching at a chinese university in jilin. china's foreign ministry said the incident wouldn't affect exchanges between the two countries. lin jian, chinese foreign ministry spokesperson (through interpreter): engaging in u.s. china people to people exchanges is in line with both sides' interests. china has always taken effective measures and will continue to take such measures to earnestly protect the safety of all foreigners in china. amna nawaz: the u.s. state department says it's in touch with local authorities about the attack and is monitoring the situation. a federal judge ruled that the florida law restricting gender affirming medical care is unconstitutional. the 2023 law blocked transgender minors from receiving treatment like puberty blockers and hormones. it also limited the options for transgender adults to be treated. senior judge robert hinkle wrote: "transgender opponents are not free to discriminate against transgender individuals just for being transgender." governor ron desantis said his office will appeal the decision. johnson & johnson has agreed to pay $700 million to settle an investigation by 42 states into its marketing of baby powder and other talc based products. the deal resolves charges that the company told consumers the products were safe while knowing they had links to cancer. in a statement, colorado's attorney general, who is among the plaintiffs, said   quote   "today's settlement sends a message that we will hold companies accountable for their deceptive and harmful conduct." johnson & johnson did not admit to any wrongdoing. and on wall street today, stocks ended mixed ahead of wednesday's inflation data and federal reserve meeting. the dow jones industrial average lost 120 points to close at 38747. the nasdaq added 151 points to close at a new record. the s&p 500 also ended at an all time high. and a staple of the american summer is losing a key ingredient this year. joey chestnut will not be competing at the nathan's hot dog eating contest on july 4. the 16 time champion found himself at odds with event organizers over his decision to endorse the impossible line of vegan meat products. in a statement, major league eating said   quote   "we are devastated to learn that joey chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand." mle also called chestnut   quote   "an american hero" and said they would welcome him back if he drops his other endorsement deal. watch the full episode jun 10 jun 09 jun 08 support provided by: learn more thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. © 1996   2025 newshour productions llc. all rights reserved. pbs is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. sections about stay connected thank you. please check your inbox to confirm. learn more about friends of the news hour. support for news hour 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manage your account june 11 (upi)    president joe biden touted his administration's efforts to reduce gun violence and called for a ban on assault weapons during a speech tuesday, just hours after his son was found guilty on federal gun charges. biden delivered the speech at everytown for gun safety's annual training conference at gun sense university in washington, d.c., where he shared his sorrow with those in attendance who have lost loved ones to gun violence. "because i've gotten those phone calls too, saying i lost a son, a daughter, a wife. i know what it's like," biden told the crowd. "but, guess what? never give up on hope, hope, hope, hope." biden's speech touted his administration's work to pass gun legislation, as he pushed for more to be done. "in two weeks, we'll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act, the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years. we passed it only because you got out and worked to get it done," biden said. "it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives and i'm so proud of the tremendous progress we've made since then." "it makes gun trafficking a federal crime for the first time, giving prosecutors a legal tool to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available," the president added. while biden made no mention, the president's speech came hours after his son hunter biden was convicted by a jury in delaware on charges related to purchasing a firearm while using and being addicted to illegal drugs. he pleaded not guilty. "additionally, the law strengthens background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm, and it's about time," president biden told the gun safety training conference as he claimed "the act helps stop mass shootings" and makes schools safer with enhanced security and 14,000 mental health professionals. "there's still so much more to do to maximize the benefits of the bipartisan safer communities act. that's why last september, i established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention," biden said to applause, as he called for a ban on assault weapons. "who in god's name needs a magazine that can hold 200 shells?" biden asked before answering, "nobody, that's right! they're weapons of war." during his speech, biden also called for universal background checks, the end of gun dealer immunity and the safe storage of firearms. "we should hold families responsible if they don't provide those locks on those guns. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined," biden said as he wrapped up his speech with a call to fight the gun lobby and opposing politicians. "whether we're democrats or republicans we all want our families to be safe. we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, at a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying it's the last time i'm going to get to see them." "we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write at schools instead of learning how to duck and cover, for god's sake!" biden said, adding, "we are not finished!" shortly after his speech, biden left for wilmington to be with his son after the white house canceled a tuesday afternoon press briefing.

mymotherlode.com   the mother lode's local news, sports, weather, movies, classifieds, yellow pages, real estate president joe biden president biden delivered a speech regarding gun violence at the washington hilton hotel in washington, d.c. biden was monday’s kvml “newsmaker of the day”. here are his words: “in two weeks, we’ll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. (applause.) it’s the   and it’s the most signifi    it’s the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years, and we passed it be    only because you gone out and vo    worked like hell to get it done. may have the idea, but you got it ma    you made it happen. it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. and i’m so proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since then. you know, the year before i came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of (inaudible). (applause.) and those rates are continuing to fall faster than ever. last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property crime. (applause.) becau    this matters. so much of this progress is because   and i’m not just trying to be solicitous   it’s because of you. don’t underestimate what you have done. it’s amazing what you have done. you changed people’s minds   your neighbors, your friends, the folks down at the restaurant, the folks at the grocery store. through the american rescue plan, i was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever to reduce crime. and we built on that progress, with your help, the bipa    (applause)   through the bipartisan safer communities act. and here’s how. first, the act is helping reduce community violence and domestic violence. it invests $250 million in violence intervention programs all across the country. (applause.) people are now   my daughter is a social worker working with violence against women. sh    what people don’t realize is these things matter. they change   they change attitudes. we’ve already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. we also made gun trafficking and straw purchasing a federal crime for the first time, giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available. (applause.) additionally, the law strengthens background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. and it’s about time. there’s more we have to do there. it’s a big deal. (applause.) since the law was passed and implemented, the fbi has stopped more than 700 sales of firearms for individuals under the age of 21. and about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealer are now required to become licensed to run background checks   (applause)   which will keep guns out of dangerous hands. second, the act helps stops mass shootings, provides $750 million to state   to   to states to implement their crisis interventions like red flag laws that temporarily remove firearms from those who are in danger to themselves or others. (applause.) it also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including un    (applause)   updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers   (applause)   i’m married to a full time teacher; i get it   (applause)   as well as viole    as well as violence intervention teams. folks, look, third, the act invests over $1 billion, the largest one time investment ever in mental heal    youth mental health in our schools   (applause)   to help them deal with grief and trauma resulting in gun violence. i’ve attended too many mass shootings   i’ve   have gone to too many schools across america and stood there and looked at the faces of those young children who were   made it and look at all the families that lost somebody. it’s tragic. but it needs help. they need help to get through it. it includes an additional 14,000 mental profes    health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools   to work in our schools full time. that’s 14,000 more. and   (applause)   and over 170,000 americans across the country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis and connect them to the help they need. (applause.) by the way, one of the reasons i wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active duty personnel are dying of suicide than any combat zone. (applause.) it matters. and, folks, this historic law is already saving lives. but there is still so much more to do to maximize the benefits of the bipartisan safer communities act. that’s why, last september, i established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention. (applause.) and i mean it. we got first rate professionals there and overseen by my incredible vice president   (applause)   who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well   to drive and coordinate government and nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in america. that’s why we did it. and to send a clear   a clear message about how important this issue is to me, to you, and to the entire country. folks   (applause)   you’re changing the nation. you really are. you’re changing the nation. it builds upon the dozen of executive actions my administration has taken to reduce gun violence   more than any of my predecessors, and i suspect more than all of them combined   everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking, and so much more. folks, we’re not stopping there. it’s time, once again, to do what i did when i was a senator: ban assault weapons. (applause.) i mean it. audience: four more years! four more years! four more years! the president: thank you. who in god’s name needs a magazine which can hold 200 shells? audience member: nobody! the president: nobody. that’s right. i remember when i was campaigning when i was a senator, going through the   through the wetlands of delaware to meet all the people who were the most upset with me   the fishermen and the hunters. and i came across a guy who was fishing, and he said, “you want to take my gun.” and i looked at him, i said, “i   i don’t want to take your gun. you’re allowed to have a gun, but i want to take away your ability to use an assault weapon.” (applause.) and it   well, no, no   here   here   this is how the conversation went. he said, “what do you mean? i need that done.” i said, “guess what? if you need 12 to 100 bullets in a gun   in a magazine, you’re the lousiest shot i’ve ever heard.” (laughter and applause.) i’m serious. and to his credit, he looked at me. he said, “you have a good point.” (laughter.) but think about it. they’re weapons of war. and, by the way, it’s time we establish universal background checks   (applause)   and, by the way   and require the safe storage of firearms. we should hold   (applause)   we should hold families responsible if they don’t provide those locks on those guns. we   if, in fact   because three of these major crime scenes i’ve visited were ones where the mother or father left open   left the stuff out on the desk, left it out on a table, and the kid came and used it. and, by the way, this is the most important: the only industry in america that has immunity are gun dealers. we got to end it   (applause)   end it now. no, i mean it. imagine   imagine if we gave   if we gave tobacco an exception they could not be prosecuted. we   what would happen? we’d still   a thousand more people would be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation. it’s time we increase funding for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives and other law enforcement agencies as well   (applause)   to solve the crimes faster. look, unfortunately   this is the only partisan thing i’m going to say   the congressional republicans oppose all of these   every one of these. instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that contain these   can be   that can   commit crimes, they’re working like hell to   to stop it. they want to abali    they want to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives, which is responsible for fighting gun crimes. you can’t be pro law enforcement and say you are pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the aft. (applause.) you can’t do it. it’s outrageous. i disagree with my   some of my own party and on the other   other side on a lot of things, but at least there’s some   some rational argument they have as part of their argument. what in god’s name is the rationale for taking away the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms? after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. he said, “have to get over it.” hell no, we don’t have to get over it. (applause.) we got to stop it. we got to stop it and stop it now. (applause.) more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. (applause.) my predecessor told the nra convention recently he’s proud that, quote, “i did nothing on guns when i was president.” and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. that’s why everytown, why this summit, why all of you here today are so damn important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation. i used to be a law   when i was no longer the vice president, i became a professor at the university of   of pennsylvania. before that, i taught a constitutional law class, and so i taught the   the second amendment. there’s never been a time that says you can own anything you want. th    never. you couldn’t own a cannon during the civil war. (laughter.) no, i’m seri    think about it. how much have you heard this phrase? “the blood of liberty”   (laughter)   “washed with th ”   give me a break. (laughter and applause.) no, i mean it. seriously. and, by the way, if they want to think they   it’s to take on government if we get out of line, which they’re talking again about   well, guess what? they need f 15s. they don’t need a rifle. (laughter.) folks, look, this is crazy, what we’re talking about. because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want all o    families to be safe. (applause.) we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying if it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. (applause.) we all want   we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learning how to duck and cover, for god sake. (applause.) and above all   above all, we all agree: we are not finished. (applause.) look, no single   no single action can solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. but together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. you can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. you’re changing the culture. we   and we’re proving we can do more than just thoughts and prayers   just more than thoughts and prayers. you’re changing politics. you’re proving that you’re powerful and you’re relentless, and i mean that. let me close with this. i know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated. (applause.) no   no, i   i know. i’ve been to too many   i’ve   i’ve literally spoken with well over a thousand families at these events that i’ve attended for mass shootings. and the look in their eyes   you can almost   you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chest, like they’re being sucked in, there’s no way out. and if they have remaining children, you look at the children and they wonder, “mommy, daddy, how about me?” and i know you may wonder: are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make? i’m here to tell you we have no choice. we cannot give up trying for all the l    lives lost and all those who still there to save. we’re going to get there. i have no illusions about how difficult it may be. but i also have no illusions about the people in this room. you’re changing the attitude of the publi    i really mean it. i’m going back to why i s    got here in the first place. that is to say thank you. we can come up   i can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier, but you’re changing people’s lives. you’re convincing your neighbors and people this is necessary. it’s beginning to move. look at what we’ve already done around the community. look at the movement you’ve built, the elected officials standing with you. look at all the mothers organizations across the country. audience member: mr. president, you are making a change too! i love you so much! (inaudible.) (laughter and applause.) the president: (inaudible.) (applause.) look   when there’s a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know: is anybody listening? do you hear me? do they hear what we’re saying? listen to the young people who are speaking out. that’s the power of the memory of your loved ones. that’s the power of this movement. that’s the power of america. we just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america, and there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together. (applause.) so, god bless you all. and may god protect our troops. (applause.) thank you, thank you, thank you. keep it up.” the “newsmaker of the day” is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on am 1450 and fm 102.7 kvml. written by mark truppner. sign up for our breaking news alerts and the mymotherlode.com daily newsletters by clicking here. report breaking news, traffic or weather to our news hotline (209) 532 6397. send mother lode news story photos to news@clarkebroadcasting.com.

president sought to rally support around issue but speech was briefly interrupted by pro palestinian protesters joe biden, facing a backlash from young voters over the war in gaza, sought to rally support around the issue of gun safety just hours after his son hunter was convicted of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a firearm. contrasting his record with election rival donald trump, the us president brought an audience that included many students to its feet at the everytown for gun safety action fund’s annual gun sense university conference in washington on tuesday. but in a reminder of the issues jostling for priority in voters’ minds, biden’s remarks were briefly interrupted by pro palestinian protesters. one shouted: “you’re complicit in genocide!” as the crowd booed, biden said: “no, no, no, no … it’s ok. look, they care. innocent children have been lost. they make a point.” he went on to give an otherwise uneventful speech that made no mention of hunter biden’s conviction in delaware earlier in the day on three felony counts relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. the conference, which brings together moms demand action and students demand action volunteers and survivors of gun violence from all 50 states, served as a show of strength for biden at a time when his position looks fragile in opinion polls. speakers praised his commitment, compassion and willingness to listen. julvonnia mcdowell, whose 14 year old son jajuan was shot and killed by another teenager playing with an unsecured firearm in savannah, georgia, told the gathering: “i can say today, standing here right now, he’s been true to his word on the urgency of creating a safer future for families like mine and yours.” she added: “i am proud to stand with him.” biden was greeted by chants of “four more years” and “let’s go, joe!” he received loud acclaim when he reminded the audience that in june 2022 he signed the most significant federal bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years; on wednesday, the justice department announced it had charged more than 500 defendants under the new law. there was another big cheer when biden noted his creation last september of the first white house office of gun violence to coordinate a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence, “overseen by my incredible vice president”. but perhaps the most enthusiastic response came to the president’s renewed call for a ban on assault weapons, sparking prolonged cheering, whooping and chants of “four more years!” biden asked: “who in god’s name needs a magazine which can hold 200 [bullets]?” someone shouted: “nobody!” biden replied: “nobody. that’s right.” he added: “they’re weapons of war and, by the way, it’s time we establish universal background checks.” biden asserted that the country’s murder rate saw the highest increase on record in the year before he came to the presidency. but last year saw the largest drop in murder rates in history, he added. he condemned congressional republicans for seeking to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives (atf), a law enforcement agency responsible for fighting gun crime. “you can’t be pro law enforcement and say you are pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the atf. it’s outrageous.” he went on to take a swipe at trump, reminding voters of the stakes in november. “after a school shooting in iowa killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. he said: ‘have to get over it.’ hell, no! “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the nra [national rifle association] convention recently he’s proud that ‘i did nothing on guns when i was president’, and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. sign up to this week in trumpland a deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the trump administration after newsletter promotion “that’s why everytown, why all of you here today are so damned important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation.” in the 2024 election cycle, the nra has contributed a total of $191,900 to 166 house republicans, according to the non profit group opensecrets. it gave nearly $75,000 to senate republican candidates and the senate republican campaign committee. the nra has spent more than $100m to help elect republicans over the past decade. trump has said there is “no bigger fan” of the nra than he is, and is vowing to roll back the measures and implement national concealed carry reciprocity legislation, which, critics say, will weaken states’ gun safety laws and harm law enforcement. a 2022 poll by the university of chicago harris school of public policy and the associated press norc center for public affairs research found that 71% of americans   including about half of republicans, the vast majority of democrats and a majority of those in gun owning households   say gun laws should be stricter. believing this to be an arena where the electoral choice is clear cut, the biden campaign is seeking to make a major push on gun safety. last week, the vice president, kamala harris, held a gun violence prevention campaign event in maryland with senate candidate angela alsobrooks and hosted a students for biden harris organising call. voters cited addressing gun violence as their third most important issue during the 2022 midterm elections, according to a politico harvard survey. but in this cycle it is competing with the cost of living, immigration, abortion rights, the defence of democracy and the war in gaza. drew spiegel, 19, a gun violence survivor and student from deerfield, illinois, said: “joe biden has done the most any administration in my life has done for gun violence prevention. the bipartisan safer communities act was the first comprehensive gun reform we got in 30 years, which is remarkable and i am super proud of his administration for that. “i believe that biden is certainly on the right track, which is why it’s critical to keep him in office. we saw what donald trump has in store and he has no intentions of making our communities safer, of keeping guns off the hands of dangerous people. he will cosy up to the nra, as he has already done, and not only will they stop reform from happening but they will actively take us in the opposite direction.”

türkiye world middle east americas europe africa asia   pacific economy politics energy sports infographics opinion photo video environment education life culture opinion health science technology business news finance terminal anadolu images energy terminal aa academy green line discrimination line fact check line career aa corporate news washington us president joe biden spoke at a gun violence conference tuesday, hours after his son was convicted of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun. "look, no single action can solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. but together our efforts, your efforts, are saving lives," biden told the crowd at the everytown for gun safety action fund’s annual gun sense university conference in washington, d.c. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined, he said, heralding his administration's steps to strengthen the country’s gun laws. the president underlined that he signed into law the most wide ranging gun violence prevention bill in june 2022, one month after a mass shooting at an elementary school in uvalde, texas. "it’s the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years," he said, adding it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. his remarks came after his son hunter biden was found guilty tuesday by a jury in the state of delaware of all three felony counts related to his purchase of a handgun in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine. in a statement issued by the white house, the president said he would accept the outcome of the case and will continue to respect the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal. "as i said last week, i am the president, but i am also a dad. jill and i love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. so many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery," he said, expressing "love and support" for his son. history editorial guidelines social media policies executive team domestic offices international offices media center communication rss subscription requests announcement service quality management privacy and cookies policy information policy diary business news finance terminal anadolu images energy terminal aa academy green line discrimination line fact check line iphone application ipad application android application

return to transcripts main page cnn news central biden speaks at gun safety event after son convicted on gun charges; white house briefing cancelled after biden's son convicted. aired 2:30 3p et aired june 11, 2024   14:30 et this is a rush transcript. this copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (commercial break) [14:31:31] brianna keilar, cnn host: all right. we're awaiting comments from president biden. you see him there on stage at this gun safety event here in washington. so we're going to bring that to you as soon as he begins speaking. and he is approaching the podium. so let's listen in to what he says. (cheering) joe biden, president of the united states: thank you. (cheering) biden: thank you, thank you. (chanting) biden: thank you. thank you. please have a seat. (inaudible) i know from experience it takes extraordinary courage for you to stand up here and retell your son's story, many of you who have lost someone to gun violence. it's been a passion of mine for a long, long time. it's a reason way back. a long time ago, i authored the violence against women act, which no one thought made any sense at the time. i had a lot of trouble getting people to think we can make a difference. but the fact of the matter is, i remember well, when you first started it, it was extraordinary courage. you now, through your words, you help ensure that your son and all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. that didn't die in vain. through your love, you help prevent the next tragedy. it saves lives. and through your actions, you remember us, will never let go of one thing that we must never, never lose. and i mean this, i know it's hard. because i've gotten those phone calls, too, saying i lost a son or daughter, wife. i know what it's like. but guess what? never give up on hope. hope, hope, hope. (cheering) (applause) biden: i give you my word, i know what that feels, that black hole when you receive that phone call. it seems like you have a black hole in your chest and you'll be sucked into it. just showing up here and all the work you've done take some courage because it reminds you of the moment you got that phone call. it reminds you, no matter how long it goes, until you    it's just    it's hard. but you're so    you make such a difference. the main reason i'm here, to say, i mean this from the bottom of my heart    (crosstalk) (booing) biden: no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. (shouting) biden: no, no. (chanting) biden: folks    (chanting) biden: folks, it's ok. (chanting) biden: take care. innocent children have been lost. they make a good point. (shouting) biden: come on now. unidentified female: (inaudible) (cheering) biden: folks, every time all the leaders navigated here today, i want to thank you for the dedication to this vital issue you've shown. and to all the survivors, veterans, families, moms, have turned their pain and your purpose in the lawsuit and you're determined to not focus on your anger, but on what you can do. look, folks, you've helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality. especially young people who demanded our nation do better to protect us all, who protest, who organized    (cheering) [14:35:09] biden:    who voted, who ran for office. (applause) biden: and, yes, who marched for their lives. (applause) biden: from my perspective, today is about celebrating you. you're the reason i'm so optimistic about the future of our country. i mean that. in two weeks, we'll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. (cheering) biden: it's the most significant    the most significant gun legislation nearly 30 years. we passed it only because you went out and worked like hell to get it done. i may have had the idea, but you got it made, you made it happen. it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. and i'm so proud with the tremendous progress we've made sense then. you know, the year before i came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of those rates. (cheering) biden: and those rates have continued to fall faster than ever. last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property (inaudible). this matters. so much of this progress is because    i'm not just trying to be solicitous. it's because of you. don't underestimate what you've done. it's amazing what you've done. it changed people's minds, your neighbors, your friends, and folks down at the restaurant, the folk to the grocery store. through the american rescue plan. i was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever, to reduce crime. and we built on that progress with your help. (cheering) (applause) biden: through the bipartisan safer communities act. and here's how. first, the act helped reduce community violence and domestic violence. it invests $250 million of violence intervention programs all across the country. (cheering) (applause) biden: my daughter's a social worker, working in violence against women. what people don't realize is these things matter. they change. they change attitudes. we've already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. we also makes gun trafficking and straw purchases a federal crime for the first time. giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available. (cheering) (applause) biden: in addition, the law for background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. and it's about time. there's more we have to do there. it's a big deal. (applause) biden: since the law was passed, the fbi stopped more than 700 sales of firearms of individuals under the age of 21. and about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealers are now required to become licensed to run background checks. (cheering) (applause) biden: (inaudible) keep guns out of dangerous hands. second, the act helps stop mass shootings, provides $750 million in states    to states to implement the crisis interventions, like red flag law and keeping firearms from those who would endanger theirselves (sic) and others. (cheering) (applause) biden: it also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including    (applauses) biden    updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers. (cheering) (applause) biden: i married a full time teacher. i get it. (cheering) biden: as well as violent    as well as violence intervention teams. folks look, third, the act invest over $1 billion, the largest one  time investment ever, in mental health    youth mental health in our schools. (cheering) (applause) biden: helping deal with grief and trauma as a result of gun violence. i've attended too many mass shootings at too many schools across america and stood there and looked at them faces of all the young children who were    made it and look at all the families that lost somebody. it's tragic. but it needs help. they need help to get through it. it includes an additional 14,000 mental professional    health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools to work in our schools full time. that's 14,000 more. and    (applause) (cheering) biden: and then over 170,000 americans across country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis, connect them to the help they need. [14:40:06] by the way. one of the reasons i wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active duty personnel are dying of suicide than in any combat zone. (applause) biden: it matters. (applause) biden: and folks, this historic law is already saving lives. but there's still so much more to do to maximize the benefits to the bipartisan safer communities act. that's why, last september i established the first ever white house office of gun violence. (cheering) (applause) biden: i mean it. we've got first grade professionals there, and overseen by my incredible vice president. (cheering) biden: who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well. to try and coordinate government in a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in america. that's why we did it, to send a clear, a clear message about how important this she was to me, to you, and to the entire country. folks    (cheering) (applause) biden:    you're changing the nation. you really are. you're changing the nation. it builds upon the dozens of executive actions that my administration has taken to reduce gun violence, more than any of my predecessors. and i suspect more than all of them combined. everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking and so much more. folks, we're not stopping there. it's time once again do what i did when i was a senator, ban assault weapons. (cheering) (applause) biden: i mean it. (cheering) (chanting) biden: who in god's name needs a magazine that could hold 200 shells? unidentified female: nobody. biden: nobody. that's right. i remember when i was campaigning when i was a senator going through the    through the wetlands of delaware, read all the people who are most upset with me, the fisherman and the hunters. and i came across a guy who was fishing and he said, you want to take my gun. and i looked at him. i said, i don't want to take your gun. you're allowed to have a gun. but i want to take away your ability to use an assault weapon. (cheering) biden: no, no, no. and then what    you know, this is a conversation. and he said, what do you mean? i need that gun. i said, guess what? if you need 12 to 100 bullets in a gun, in a magazine, you're the lousiest shot i've ever heard of. (cheering) (applause) biden: i'm serous. and he straight looked at me and he said, you have a good point. (laughter) biden: think about it. they're weapons of war. and by the way, it's time we establish universal background checks. (cheering) (applause) biden: and by the way, and require the safe storage of firearms. we should hold    (cheering) biden: we should hold your family responsible if they don't provide those locks on those guns. if the fact    because three of these major crime scenes i've visited were ones where that mother or father left open    left stuff out on the desk., left it out on a table and the kid came infused it. and by the way, this is most important. the only industry in america that has immunity are gun dealers. (crosstalk) biden: we've got to end it. end it now. (cheering) biden: no, i mean it. (cheering) (applause) biden: imagine, again, if we gave tobacco an exception, they could not be prosecuted. we    it won't happen. we still    a thousand more people will be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation. it's time to increase funding for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, and other law enforcement agencies as well    (cheering) biden:    to solve the crimes faster. (applause) biden: look, unfortunately, it's the only partisan thing i'm going to say. the congressional republicans oppose all of these, every one of these. instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that contain these    can be    they can commit crimes, they're working like hell to stop it. they want a ballot    they want to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives who is responsible for fighting gun crime. [14:45:05] it can't be pro law enforcement and say you are a pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the aft (sic). you can't do it. (cheering) (applause) biden: it's outrageous. (applause) biden: i disagree with my    some of my own party and on the other side on a lot of things, but at least there's some    some rational argument they have as part of their argument. what in god's name is the rationale for taking away the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms? after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. (crosstalk) biden: he said you have to get over it. hell, no, we don't have to get over it! (cheering) biden: we've got to stop it! we've got to stop it and stop it now! (cheering) (applause) biden: more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the nra convention recently, he's proud of, quote, "i did nothing on guns when i was president." and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. that's why every town, why this summer, why all of you here today are so important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, so many politicians, when they oppose common sense gun legislation. i used to be a log    when i was no longer the vice president, i became a professor at the university of pennsylvania. and before that, i taught a constitutional law class. and so i'll talk to the second amendment. there's never been a time that says you can own anything you want. never. you couldn't own a cannon during the civil war. (laughter) biden: i want you to think about it. how much have you heard this phrase? "the blood of liberty washes    give me a break. (laughter) biden: no, seriously. (applause) biden: by the way, if they want to think to take on government, if we get out of line, which there's talking again about, well, guess what, they need f 15s. they don't need a rifle. folks, look, this is crazy what we're talking about. because whether we're democrats or republicans, we want all our families to be safe. we all want to drop them off at the house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying is this the last time i', going to get to see them. (cheering) biden: we all want    (applause) biden: we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover for god's sake. (cheering) (applause) biden: above all    (cheering) biden: above all, we all agree we are not finished! (cheering) (applause) biden: look, no single    no single action can solve the entirety of a gun violence epidemic. but together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. we can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. you're changing the culture. we've proven we can do more than just thoughts and prayers. this, more than thoughts and prayers, you're changing politics. you're proving that you're powerful and you're relentless. and i mean that. let me close with this. i know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated. (cheering) biden: i know, i've been to too many. i've    i've literally spoken to well over 1,000 families at these events that i've attended, these mass shootings. and the look in their eyes, you can almost    you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chests, like they're being sucked in and there's no way out. if they have remaining children, you look at the children and they wonder, mommy, daddy, how about me? and i know you may wonder, are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make? i'm here to tell you, we have no choice. we cannot give up trying for all lives lost and all those that are still there to save. we're going to get there. i have no illusions about how difficult it may be, but i also have no illusions about the people in this room. you're changing the attitude of the public. i really mean it. i'm coming back to why i got here in the first place and it's to say thank you. we can come up, i can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier. but you're changing people's lives. you're convincing your neighbors or people this is necessary. it's beginning to move. who are all around the community, look in the movement you've built. elected officials standing with you. [14:50:10] look at all the mother's organizations across the country. unidentified female: mr. biden, you are (inaudible) (cheering) (applause) biden: look    (cheering) biden: when there's a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know, is anybody listening? do you hear me? do you hear what we're saying? this is the young people who are speaking out. that's the power of the memory of your loved ones. that's the power of this movement. that's the power of america. we just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america, and there's nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together. (applause) biden: so god bless you all and may god protect the troops. (cheering) (applause) biden: thank you. thank you. (music) boris sanchez, cnn host: we've been listening to a fired up president joe biden discussing his commitment to solving gun violence. he talked about his commitment to passing gun laws and the gun safety. but on the day that his son was convicted for breaking federal gun laws, the president did not make mention of it in roughly 20 minutes of remarks. really, the president energized on this issue and with a very, for the most part, receptive crowd. keilar: yes, he's been dealing with this issue for so long when it comes to what a lot of the folks in this audience are concerned about, which is gun safety in schools, at public events, and really just places people go in the course of their normal lives. and there are so many survivors in that crowd that he has speaking to there as well. let's go to kayla tausche. she is at the white house tracking this event, also at the head of the white house briefing, which we are expecting here in just a moment. kayla, what did you think about what the president said? and also, if you can just pull back the curtain on some of the thinking there at the white house as the president is dealing with news of hunter biden's conviction on gun charges. kayla tausche, cnn senior white house correspondent: well, brianna, this was a very energized president onstage at that event, just very close to the white house here where the president talked about the safeguards put in place by the bipartisan safer communities act in the wake of the uvalde school shooting. and talked about the need for more policies changes to come, specifically universal background checks, safe storage laws, as well as an assault weapons ban. and it was when he talked about the need for an assault weapons ban, that was one of the many moments that the crowd erupted into chants of "four more years." a very receptive ground with those "four more years" chants even drowning out alone protester during the event, who tried to shame president biden for, in her words, enabling genocide in the middle east where gaza is concerned. but certainly, you mentioned the political awkwardness of the timing of this event. it was a fluke on the schedule, but definitely comes as the president's son is being convicted on those federal gun charges. he was not expected to make mention of those charges, and he didn't. although there are still opportunities for reporters to ask questions of him, if and when they see the president at some point along that route. the white house press briefing that was expected to take place this afternoon has now been canceled. so any opportunity to ask the press secretary, karine jean pierre, questions about the conviction that the jury leveled earlier today, there is no longer an opportunity to do that. as the president is now going to be heading to wilmington, delaware, ostensibly to be sharing some personal time with his family in the wake of that conviction. we know that the family has been spending a lot of time together in the leadup to this trial and during this trial with the first lady traveling back and forth from the president's trip in france to be there in person in the courtroom as some of the most emotional testimony was delivered. so we will see what more we get from the president. but certainly, at this point, the white house is more than satisfied to let the president's own words earlier today speaker for themselves, where he says that he's proud of his son and where he stands in his recovery, and that the judicial system can do its own work. and i'm paraphrasing there, but that is essentially the statement that the president has been issuing throughout the course of this legal affair    guys? sanchez: kayla tausche alive for us at the white house. kayla, we'll let you get to that press briefing that was obviously delayed by the president's remarks. it actually just got canceled. keilar: yes. we just learned that. (crosstalk) keilar: briefing cancelled after the president's son was convicted? sanchez: yes. well, we're going to take a quick break, i think. keilar: we'll discuss also. sanchez: let's keep going with the panel. keilar: all right. kate, former white house communications director   (laughter) keilar:    kate bedingfield, that's kind of interesting. briefing cancelled. [14:55:03] kate bedingfield, former white houses communications director: well, it's not uncommon to cancel the briefing after the president gives a significant set of remarks. i mean, your aim during the day is to try to get the press to cover the things you want them to cover. so when the president goes out, gives a speech like that on an issue where    that is meaningful to him, where he's got a lot to talk about, where he's laid, you know, the accomplishments of his administration, by the way, a bipartisan success he's had in his administration. you know, you want the focus to be there. (crosstalk) bedingfield: well, but they also didn't know you guys were going to cover it in full. (crosstalk) sanchez: the huge news (crosstalk) shermichael singleton, cnn political commentator: i love my dear friend, kate, here, but we know why it was canceled. because they don't want to deal with questions about the verdict. i understand that. and it's ok to say, look, this is a difficult time for the president right now. we haven't had the opportunity to digest all of this. i'm going to cancel this thing. we'll get back to you guys the next day. (crosstalk) singleton: just be transparent, ok? bedingfield: they've taken many, many questions about this from the podium. (crosstalk) bedingfield: i would expect, if she took the questions, if karine screened the questions today, she would say what she has always said, she would point to what the president has said and move on. this is    (crosstalk) bedingfield: they make these decisions to keep the focus on the things that you want to focus on. gloria borger, cnn senior political analyst: but this is different. this is different. because he's been convicted. bedingfield: i don't think so. (crosstalk) bedingfield: as a communications decision, i don't think this is different. this is about keeping the focus on what the president is talking about. borger: well, it can    it can be both. bedingfield: anyway    borger: it can be both. you want to keep the focus on what you want to keep the focus on, but you also don't want to talk about what you don't want to talk about yet until you have your messaging points clear, until the president perhaps goes to wilmington and discusses it with the family. and maybe the president himself will say something and she doesn't want to say something before the president will say something. bedingfield: she's taken many, many questions on this. and she has, she has not engaged because, obviously, hunter is not an elected official. she is the spokesperson for the president and the white house. she's not hunter biden spokesperson. (crosstalk) bedingfield: there would be nothing about her engaging today that would be different. she would shunt all questions that    singleton: well, what would be different is that the president's son was found guilty of three felonies. that's a pretty substantial difference. bedingfield: i disagree with that. there's    this question has come up consistently. she has handled it in a consistent way. again, as somebody who made some these decisions, i can tell you, you make these communications decisions to try to keep the focus on the things you want to focus on. when the president gives a rousing speech on an issue that he cares about, that he has a lot to say, sometimes you pull down the briefing so that you don't wind up going in circles for hours on questions (crosstalk) bedingfield: to not have the kind of conversation that were having    (crosstalk) borger: i think you're going    i think you're going to have it more because the briefing is canceled. and that raises more questions. now there may be a very good reason, which is, if the president wants to say something when he's getting on or off a chopper or whatever he is going to get on and off up to go to wilmington, maybe they don't want to step on his lines, maybe there's something that he wants to say. but i mean, it just raises more questions i think than answers to have the white house say, never mind, we're not going to talk today. sanchez: panel, please stand by. we're going to continue the discussion after a quick break. cnn news central returns in a moment. (commercial break)

about search the president. hello, hello. thank you. audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. thank you, thank you. audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. thank you. thank you. please, have a seat. julvonnia, i know from experience it takes extraordinary courage for you to stand up here and retell your son's story and many of you who have lost someone to gun violence. it's been a passion of mine for a long, long time. it's the reason way back, a long time ago, i authored the violence against women act, which no one thought made any sense at the time. it had i had a lot of trouble getting people to think we could make a difference. but the fact of the matter is, i remember well when you first started it with me this extraordinary courage. you know, through your words, you help ensure that your son and all the victims of gun violence are not forgotten. they didn't die in vain. through your love, you help prevent the next tragedy. it saves lives. and, through your actions, you remember us we'll never let go of one thing that we must never, never lose. and i mean this. i know it's hard because i've gotten those phone calls too, saying i lost a son, a daughter, a wife. i know what it's like. but guess what? never give up on hope hope, hope, hope. i give you my word. i know what that feels that black hole when you receive that phone call that seems like you're black hole in your chest you're being sucked into it. just showing up here and all the work you've done takes some courage because it reminds you of the moment you got that phone call. it reminds you, no matter how long it goes, until you it just it's hard. but you're so you're making such a difference. the main reason i'm here is to say and i mean this from the bottom of my heart   audience member. you're complicit in genocide! stop sending weapons [inaudible]. audience members. boo! the president. that's that's all right. let no, no, no. no   audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. no, no, no   audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. folks   audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. folks, it's okay. look   audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president.   they care. innocent children have been lost. they make an important point. audience member. [inaudible] the president. come on now. audience member. thank you for honoring gun violence survivors! the president. well, folks, to everytown and all the leaders and advocates here today, i want to thank you for the dedication to this vital issue you've shown. and, to all the survivors, veterans, families, moms who have turned their pain and your purpose into the loss you and you're determined to not focus on your anger, but on what you can do. look, folks, you've helped power a movement that is turning this cause into reality especially young people, who demanded our nation do better to protect us all who protested, who organized, who voted, who ran for office, and yes, who marched for their lives. from my perspective, today is about celebrating you. you're the reason i'm so optimistic about the future of our country, and i mean that. in 2 weeks, we'll mark the second anniversary of the bipartisan safer communities act. it's the and it's the most significant it's the most significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years, and we passed it only because you gone out and vote worked like hell to get it done. may have the idea, but you got it made you made it happen. it was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. and i'm so proud of the tremendous progress we've made since then. you know, the year before i came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of [inaudible]. and those rates are continuing to fall faster than ever. last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property crime. because this matters. so much of this progress is because and i'm not just trying to be solicitous it's because of you. don't underestimate what you have done. it's amazing what you've done. you've changed people's minds your neighbors, your friends, the folks down at the restaurant, the folks at the grocery store. through the american rescue plan, i was able to invest $15 billion, the largest investment ever to reduce crime. and we've built on that progress, with your help, the bipartisan [applause] through the bipartisan safer communities act. and here's how. first, the act is helping reduce community violence and domestic violence. it invests $250 million in violence intervention programs all across the country. people are now my daughter is a social worker working with violence against women. she what people don't realize is these things matter. they change attitudes. we've already funded nearly 80 programs and counting. we also made gun trafficking and straw purchasing a federal crime for the first time, giving prosecutors the legal tools to charge traffickers and hold them accountable for the more severe penalties that are available. additionally, the law strengthens background checks for anyone under the age of 21 trying to purchase a firearm. and it's about time. there's more we have to do there. it's a big deal. since the law was passed and implemented, the fbi has stopped more than 700 sales of firearms for individuals under the age of 21. and about 20,000 unlicensed firearms dealer are now required to become licensed to run background checks, which will keep guns out of dangerous hands. second, the act helps stops mass shootings, provides $750 million to state to states to implement their crisis interventions like "red flag" laws that temporarily remove firearms from those who are in danger to themselves or others. it also gives $1.3 billion to thousands of schools across the country to build a safer learning environments, including updating safety plans, installing security equipment, hiring mental health professionals and school resource officers i'm married to a full time teacher; i get it [laughter] as well as violence as well as violence intervention teams. folks, look, third, the act invests over $1 billion, the largest one time investment ever in mental health youth mental health in our schools to help them deal with grief and trauma resulting in gun violence. i've attended too many mass shootings i've have gone to too many schools across america and stood there and looked at the faces of those young children who were made it and look at all the families that lost somebody. it's tragic. but it needs help. they need help to get through it. it includes an additional 14,000 mental professionals health professionals to be hired and trained in our schools to work in our schools full time. that's 14,000 more. and over 170,000 americans across the country have been trained to identify when someone is having a mental health crisis and connect them to the help they need. by the way, one of the reasons i wrote the latest veterans bill was because more veterans and more active duty personnel are dying of suicide than any combat zone. it matters. and, folks, this historic law is already saving lives. but there is still so much more to do to maximize the benefits of the bipartisan safer communities act. that's why, last september, i established the first ever white house office of gun violence prevention. [applause] and i mean it. we've got first rate professionals there and overseen by my incredible vice president who is a pretty fierce prosecutor as well to drive and coordinate government and nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in america. that's why we did it. and to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me, to you, and to the entire country. folks, you're changing the nation. you really are. you're changing the nation. it builds upon the dozen of executive actions my administration has taken to reduce gun violence more than any of my predecessors, and i suspect more than all of them combined everything from cracking down on ghost guns, gun trafficking, and so much more. folks, we're not stopping there. it's time, once again, to do what i did when i was a senator: ban assault weapons. i mean it. audience members. four more years! four more years! four more years! the president. thank you. who in god's name needs a magazine which can hold 200 shells? audience member. nobody! the president. nobody. that's right. i remember when i was campaigning when i was a senator, going through the wetlands of delaware to meet all the people who were the most upset with me, the fishermen and the hunters. and i came across a guy who was fishing, and he said, "you want to take my gun." and i looked at him, i said: "i don't want to take your gun. you're allowed to have a gun, but i want to take away your ability to use an assault weapon." and it [applause]. well, no, no here this is how the conversation went. he said, "what do you mean? i need that done." i said: "guess what? if you need 12 to 100 bullets in a gun in a magazine, you're the lousiest shot i've ever heard." [laughter] i'm serious. and, to his credit, he looked at me. he said, "you have a good point." [laughter] but think about it. they're weapons of war. and by the way, it's time we establish universal background checks and by the way and require the safe storage of firearms. we should hold families responsible if they don't provide those locks on those guns. we if in fact because three of these major crime scenes i've visited were ones where the mother or father left open left the stuff out on the desk, left it out on a table, and the kid came and used it. and by the way, this is the most important: the only industry in america that has immunity are gun dealers. we've got to end it end it now. [applause] no, i mean it. imagine imagine if we gave tobacco an exception they could not be prosecuted. we what would happen? we'd still a thousand more people would be dying of cancer because of smoke inhalation. it's time we increase funding for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives and other law enforcement agencies as well to solve the crimes faster. look, unfortunately this is the only partisan thing i'm going to say the congressional republicans oppose all of these every one of these. instead of trying to stop our ban on ghost gun kits that contain these can be that can commit crimes, they're working like hell to stop it. they want to they want to abolish the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms and explosives, which is responsible for fighting gun crimes. you can't be pro law enforcement and say you are pro law enforcement and be pro abolishing the aft. you can't do it. [applause] it's outrageous. i disagree with my some of my own party and on the other side on a lot of things, but at least there's some some rational argument they have as part of their argument. what in god's name is the rationale for taking away the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms? after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said. he said, "have to get over it." hell no, we don't have to get over it. we've got to stop it. [applause] we've got to stop it and stop it now. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the nra convention recently he's proud that, quote, "i did nothing on guns when i was president." and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. that's why everytown, why this summit, why all of you here today are so damn important. we need you. we need you to overcome the unrelenting opposition of the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and so many politicians when they oppose commonsense gun legislation. i used to be a law when i was no longer the vice president, i became a professor at the university of of pennsylvania. before that, i taught a constitutional law class, and so i taught the second amendment. there's never been a time that says you can own anything you want. the never. you couldn't own a cannon during the civil war. [laughter] no, i'm serious think about it. how much have you heard this phrase? "the blood of liberty" [laughter] "washed with the" give me a break. [laughter] no, i mean it. seriously. and by the way, if they want to think they it's to take on government if we get out of line, which they're talking again about well, guess what? they need f 15s. they don't need a rifle. [laughter] folks, look, this is crazy, what we're talking about. because whether we're democrats or republicans, we want all our families to be safe. we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying if it's the last time i'm going to get to see them. we all want [applause] we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover, for god sake. and above all above all we all agree: we are not finished. look, no single no single action can solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. but together, our efforts, your efforts are saving lives. you can help rally a nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose. you're changing the culture. we and we've proven we can do more than just thoughts and prayers just more than thoughts and prayers. you're changing politics. you're proving that you're powerful and you're relentless, and i mean that. let me close with this. i know many people here have been impacted by gun violence and are tired and frustrated. [applause] no no, i know. i've been to too many i've literally spoken with well over a thousand families at these events that i've attended for mass shootings. and the look in their eyes you can almost you can almost feel that black hole they feel in the center of their chest, like they're being sucked in, there's no way out. and if they have remaining children, you look at the children, and they wonder, "mommy, daddy, how about me?" and i know you may wonder: are we ever going to make full progress that we need to make? i'm here to tell you we have no choice. we cannot give up trying for all the lives lost and all those who are still there to save. we're going to get there. i have no illusions about how difficult it may be. but i also have no illusions about the people in this room. you're changing the attitude of the public; i really mean it. i'm going back to why i say got here in the first place. that is to say thank you. we can come up i can come up with all these ideas about the laws we can change to make it easier, but you're changing people's lives. you're convincing your neighbors and people this is necessary. it's beginning to move. look at what we've already done around the community. look at the movement you've built and the elected officials standing with you. look at all the mothers' organizations across the country. audience member. mr. president, you are making a change too! i love you so much! and god bless you! [laughter] the president. [inaudible] look when there's a crisis, half of what people affected by a crisis have to know: is anybody listening? do you hear me? do they hear what we're saying? listen to the young people who are speaking out. that's the power of the memory of your loved ones. that's the power of this movement. that's the power of america. we just have to keep going and keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america, and there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act and do it together. so god bless you all, and may god protect our troops. thank you, thank you, thank you. keep it up. thank you. note: the president spoke at 2:31 p.m. at the washington hilton hotel. in his remarks, he referred to julvonnia mcdowell, volunteer, moms demand action for gun sense in america; and former president donald j. trump. the transcript was released by the office of the press secretary on june 12. joseph r. biden, jr., remarks at everytown for gun safety's "gun sense university" conference online by gerhard peters and john t. woolley, the american presidency project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/372789 the american presidency projectjohn woolley and gerhard peterscontact twitter facebook copyright © the american presidency projectterms of service | privacy | accessibility

supported by the onion’s bid for the conspiracy website was supported by the families of victims of the sandy hook shooting and a nonprofit focused on ending gun violence. by benjamin mullin and elizabeth williamson the group’s latest ratings show a decline in top marks for the seventh straight election cycle, suggesting its influence is waning. by maggie astor the state is adding restrictions meant to make lockdown drills less scary for children, and will also require schools to notify parents about the exercises ahead of time. by shayla colon the vending machines, sold by a company called american rounds, sell ammunition that can be used in handguns, rifles and shotguns. they have been installed in texas, oklahoma and alabama so far. by amanda holpuch “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” president biden said in a speech in washington. by nicholas nehamas such data, in the rare instances it has been publicly released, has illuminated the pathways through which legally manufactured and lawfully sold firearms are obtained by criminals. by glenn thrush after the supreme court ruled last year that people could carry guns outside their homes, legal challenges and legislative debates have been playing out across the country. by shaila dewan the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms created a statistical portrait that law enforcement agencies can use to address new threats, which include untraceable “ghost guns.” by glenn thrush new guidance from the biden administration requires pistol parts to be subject to the same regulations as fully finished firearms. by glenn thrush sellers of key components of the untraceable homemade firearms have been interpreting the rule in the narrowest possible way. by glenn thrush

this live blog is now closed. you can read our full report on hunter biden’s conviction here: special counsel david weiss, at a news conference just now, said hunter biden’s conviction is a reminder that no one is above the law. “everyone must be accountable for their actions, even this defendant,” weiss said. he added: however, hunter biden should be no more accountable than any other citizen convicted of this same conduct. the prosecution has been and will continue to be committed to this principle. weiss expressed sympathy with people struggling with addiction but noted that this case was about the “illegal choices” hunter biden made “to lie on a government form when he bought a gun, and the choice to then possess that gun.” “it was these choices and the combination of guns and drugs, that made his conduct dangerous,” weiss said. ultimately this case was not just about addiction, a disease that haunts families across the united states, including hunter biden’s family. this case was about the illegal choices the defendant made while in the throes of addiction. hunter biden, the eldest living son of joe biden, was found guilty on tuesday on all three felony counts he faced relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. the jury reached its verdict after about three hours of deliberation over two days. it followed a weeklong trial in the biden family’s home town of wilmington, delaware, that featured sometimes excruciating testimony about his addiction habit, from some of his closest relatives. hunter biden chose not to take the witness stand in his own defense. also: republicans responded to hunter biden’s conviction by doubling down on conspiracy theories that many senior party figures have been using to try and damage his president father. joe biden did not address the conviction in his son’s trial in his first public remarks after the jury reached its verdict as he touted his administration’s efforts to curb gun violence at an everytown for gun safety event in washington dc. samuel alito, the supreme justice at the center of a flag controversy that has called his impartiality into question, said one side of the us’s bitter left v right ideological conflicts has to prevail, in secretly recorded remarks that are likely to exacerbate concerns about judicial neutrality. his wife, martha ann alito, was also recorded making critical comments about the gay pride flag. alvin bragg, the manhattan district attorney who brought the hush money case against donald trump, agreed to testify before congress on 12 july, a day after the former president’s sentencing in new york. jd vance, the republican senator for ohio vying to be donald trump’s running mate, inadvertently revealed that as part of his vetting for the role, he was asked questions that might disqualify trump himself. alvin bragg, the manhattan district attorney, has agreed to testify before congress a day after donald trump’s sentencing in his hush money trial. bragg, who brought the hush money case against the former president, will appear on 12 july before the gop led house select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government along with prosecutor matthew colangelo, a spokesperson for bragg’s office said. “the manhattan d.a.’s office is proud to play a crucial role in upholding and enforcing the rule of law for the people of new york,” the spokesperson said. it undermines the rule of law to spread dangerous misinformation, baseless claims, and conspiracy theories following the jury’s return of a full count felony conviction in people v. trump. nonetheless, we respect our government institutions and plan to appear voluntarily before the subcommittee after sentencing. the republican controlled hearing, which will come a day after trump’s sentencing hearing in new york, marks the latest effort by trump’s closest congressional allies to discredit his 34 count conviction by waging war on the justice system. house judiciary committee chair jim jordan has accused both bragg and colangelo of conducting a “political prosecution” in the case against the former president. after emerging on monday from having his mug shot taken in connection with the fake 2020 electors case pending against him in arizona, rudy giuliani boasted about having no regrets over his actions that led to the criminal charges against him. “i’m very, very proud of it,” the former donald trump attorney and ex mayor of new york city said as he left the state courthouse where he was processed on monday. when a reporter with kpnx asked him if he had any regrets about his role in trying to overturn the former president’s defeat to joe biden in the 2020 election, giuliani added: “oh, my goodness, no.” the comments from giuliani came after an arizona grand jury in may indicted him alongside 16 other trump allies with attempting to change the outcome of biden’s electoral victory in the state in 2020. the grand jury charged giuliani with pressuring arizona legislators and the maricopa county board of supervisors to change the result of the state’s presidential election   and with encouraging republican electors in arizona and six other contested states to vote for trump. during his address at an everytown for gun safety event, joe biden did not address the guilty verdict in his son hunter biden’s trial on charges tied to the possession of a gun while using narcotics. in his first public remarks after the verdict on tuesday, the president instead touted his administration’s efforts to curb gun violence. biden will now depart for wilmington, delaware, where his son and family members are. the white house has also cancelled a press briefing scheduled for this afternoon. mike johnson, the republican speaker of the house, said he believes hunter biden’s conviction on federal felony gun charges was “appropriate”. johnson has been critical of donald trump’s conviction in his hush money trial, describing the case as a “sham” and calling the court system “corrupt”. johnson, asked if hunter biden’s conviction undercuts the gop narrative that there is a two tiered justice system designed to hurt republicans, replied: “it doesn’t.” every case is different. and clearly the evidence was overwhelming here. i don’t think that’s the case in the trump trials. and all the charges that have been brought against him have been obviously brought for political purposes. hunter biden is a separate instance. just asked speaker mike johnson if hunter biden’s conviction undercuts the gop narrative that there's a two tiered justice system designed to hurt republicans.“it doesn’t,” he said. “every case is different. and clearly the evidence was overwhelming here. i don’t think that’s… pic.twitter.com/oyzcwsc6jl joe biden, addressing the everytown for gun safety event, says the country’s murder rate was the highest increase on record in the year before he came to the presidency. last year saw the largest drop in murder rates in history, biden said, adding that those rates are continuing to fall “faster than ever” last year. biden says last year he established the first ever white house office of gun violence overseen by his “incredible” vice president, in order to coordinate a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined, biden says. joe biden has started speaking at the everytown for gun safety event in washington dc. as the president began speaking, he was interrupted by a protester who shouted about the “genocide” in gaza. the crowd drowned out the protester with chants of “four more years”. the biden harris campaign released a memo ahead of the president’s speech at everytown for gun safety’s event touting the administration’s accomplishments to decrease gun violence. the campaign’s senior spokesperson, kevin munoz, wrote: fighting for a safer america   an america that does its part to save more lives from gun violence   is on the ballot this november. biden “signed the most significant federal bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years,” the memo said, “that went after gun traffickers and expanded federal background checks; has worked to combat deadly, untraceable ghost guns; and closed the background check loophole   and more,” he said. the memo also blamed donald trump’s staunch support for the nra and opposition to gun legislation for “the largest increase in violence in american history, leading to 20,000 more people dead by gun violence.” one juror who found hunter biden guilty of three federal gun charges said he does not believe the president’s son deserved jail time. juror 10 told cnn: we were not thinking of the sentencing. i really don’t think hunter belongs in jail. the unnamed juror said the 12 person jury was split evenly monday night but came to a guilty verdict tuesday morning. he added that inside the deliberation room, politics did not come up: no politics came into play and politics was not even spoken about. here’s a look at how republican lawmakers are responding to hunter biden’s conviction. as we reported earlier, house oversight chair james comer said tuesday’s verdict is “a step toward accountability” but added that he still wants further investigation into the biden family’s business dealings. elise stefanik, chair of the house republican conference and donald trump’s potential vice presidential pick, said the conviction was “first step in delivering accountability for the biden crime family”. stefanik’s statement reads: remember this was joe biden’s corrupt doj that tried to negotiate outside immunity unrelated to this case. today is the first step in delivering accountability for the biden crime family. we must and will continue to investigate the biden crime family for their corrupt influence peddling schemes that generated over $18 million in foreign payments for the biden crime family. tennessee congressman tim burchett called on congress to “condemn the intelligence community for lying to voters and covering up the story about hunter’s laptop to help his father win an election.” florida congressman matt gaetz described the verdict as “kinda dumb”. the hunter biden gun conviction is kinda dumb tbh.

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trump administration “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” president biden said in a speech in washington. transcript after a school shooting in iowa that killed a student and a teacher, my predecessor was asked about it. you remember what he said? he said, “have to get over it.” hell no, we don’t have to get over it. [cheering] we’ve got to stop it. we’ve got to stop it and stop it now. more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined. my predecessor told the n.r.a. convention recently, he’s proud that, quote, “i did nothing on guns when i was president.” and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse. folks, look, this is crazy what we’re talking about. because whether we’re democrats or republicans, we want our families to be safe. we all want to drop them off at a house of worship, a mall, a movie theater, a school without worrying that it’s the last time i’m going to get to see them. we all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in schools instead of learn how to duck and cover, for god’s sake. by nicholas nehamas reporting from washington president biden told the nation’s largest gun control group on tuesday that he had secured extensive reforms on firearms safety but acknowledged that he had not achieved several of his priorities. and he attacked former president donald j. trump, the presumptive republican nominee, for not doing more to reduce gun violence during mr. trump’s term in office. “more children are killed in america by guns than cancer and car accidents combined,” mr. biden said in washington, at the annual training conference for everytown for gun safety, the group backed by michael r. bloomberg, before mentioning mr. trump’s connection to the national rifle association. “my predecessor told the n.r.a. convention recently, he’s proud of, quote, ‘i did nothing on guns when i was president,’ and by doing nothing, he made the situation considerably worse.” during mr. biden’s speech, which was briefly interrupted by pro palestinian protesters, he called for a ban on assault weapons, an end to wide ranging legal immunity for gun manufacturers and the passage of universal background checks.