Ahead of One-Year Anniversary of Biden Administration, Brady Applauds Action on Gun Violence Prevention, Urges Greater Attention, Action in Year Two

Washington, D.C., January 19, 2022 - Ahead of the one year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, Brady celebrates the actions that the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to address gun violence and urges President Biden to go further and continue speaking clearly on this issue in the next year and beyond.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“President Biden has taken historic action to address gun violence in his first year in office. It is unprecedented and part of why we hailed his election as the strongest gun violence prevention champion ever to occupy the oval office. However, the on-going and frankly increasing nature of this crisis demands further action and attention. In his next year and for the rest of his term, President Biden cannot rest on these actions. We need him and the entire executive branch to make gun violence prevention and keeping Americans safe a top priority. That means building upon his historic actions in 2021 by appointing a director of gun violence prevention to work within the White House and coordinate actions across the Executive Branch; nominating a new director for ATF; and instructing the DOJ and ATF to take common-sense steps to improve gun dealer inspections and enforcement. President Biden must use the power and visibility of his position to address this growing crisis head-on. We know he cares deeply about this issue, and the power of the bully pulpit allows him to ensure that America does not look away from this crisis."

About Brady’s Executive Actions Recommendations:

In June 2020, Brady released a series of recommendations that any President and any administration can take to address gun violence. The report, “Leading with Action: Addressing Gun Violence With Executive Authority,” outlines recommendations that can accomplish five, overarching goals:

1. Enhance and strengthen the Brady Background Check System;

2. Improve gun industry oversight and accountability;

3. Prevent the diversion of firearms to the illegal market;

4. Reform the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and

5. Promote public health and safety.

These actions should work in concert with comprehensive, Congressional efforts to prevent gun violence, which affects all Americans, albeit in varied and unequal ways. In anticipation of those comprehensive actions, the Executive Branch can and should take these steps immediately to reduce gun violence across the country and relieve the extraordinary burden and loss that gun violence imposes on every American, and in particular on communities of color that bear disproportionate and deleterious costs from gun violence.

About President Biden’s Historic Actions in 2021:

In his first year in office, President Biden has taken immediate and decisive steps using his executive authority to address gun violence in all of its forms. This includes a suite of executive actions announced in April that include a much needed proposed rule to regulate dangerous, untraceable ghost guns, a comprehensive violence reduction strategy that takes a supply side approach to addressing gun violence, and an emphasis on Veterans and suicide prevention that includes safe storage guidance.

These multiple actions demonstrate that the athte Biden-Harris Administration views gun violence as the complex public health crisis that it is and will work to prevent gun violence in all of its forms. The sum result of these actions is the groundwork for numerous programs, packages and policies that will save lives and address gun violence as the pressing public health crisis that it is.