On Monday, July 12, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden, center, talks at a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. UPI | Bloomberg | Getty Images | Sarah Silbiger President Joe Biden met with US police chiefs and political officials at the White House on Monday to discuss his strategy for combating the country’s ongoing gun violence epidemic. Before the meeting, Biden stated, “We know that we must come together for the primary obligation of democracy: to keep each other safe.” “And when it comes to decreasing violent crime and gun violence, that’s what the American people want.” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams, community intervention leader, and several mayors and police chiefs from major and mid-size U.S. cities joined Biden at the White House to discuss his gun crime prevention strategy, which was unveiled last month. The conference takes place in the midst of a national pandemic of gun violence in several of the country’s largest cities, a rising electoral issue for Democrats and a central topic of Republicans’ bid to take control of the House and Senate next year. Following the death of George Floyd last year, the Biden administration confronts a significant challenge in balancing gun control with the ongoing fight for police reform in the United States, especially as the president attempts to move away from Democrats’ “defund the cops” narrative. Biden encouraged towns to use $350 billion from the American Rescue Package, a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan enacted by Congress in March, to improve public safety at the conference. This includes strengthening law enforcement and expanding crime-prevention initiatives in the community. The government shared examples of how localities are spending the funds in a document sent out Monday. For example, New York City proposed spending more than $44 million to expand community violence intervention models and re-deploy 200 additional police officers to the field to handle administrative responsibilities. Other cities mentioned in the report include Washington, which suggested spending $59 million to increase police cadet slots, community services, and financial aid to help residents affected by gun violence reintegrate into society. “The American rescue dollars that are going directly to local governments like ours are allowing us to not only have the officers we need, but also the community violence interrupters we need to fund pilot programs that will help returning citizens… and this all supports the ecosystem to make cities safer,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC. However, Biden’s comprehensive proposal to reduce violent crime includes more than just the American Rescue Plan. The approach also tightens federal gun enforcement by introducing a new “zero-tolerance” policy for gun dealers who break federal gun sales regulations and giving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) new authority to revoke dealer licenses for first-time offenders. The approach has also resulted in the formation of five new federal strike forces, led by the ATF, to monitor and intercept firearm smuggling along numerous main gun trafficking routes between major cities. According to federal statistics, killings are on the rise across the country, with a 30% increase in 2020 over the previous year. Mayors and police chiefs around the country have battled to explain why mass shootings, killings, and other violent crimes are on the rise. Experts believe the pandemic was caused by a perfect storm of elements colliding at the same time. There’s been an uptick in private gun purchases, widespread unemployment, and Covid stay-at-home orders, which have left many stranded at home with nothing to do. Protests over police deaths of Black people, on the other hand, may have diverted resources away from traditional policing and weakened public trust in law enforcement. Many of the reasons thought to have contributed to the growth in violent crime, on the other hand, are difficult to quantify. Given the very localized nature of American policing, Biden’s options at the federal level are restricted. — Christina Wilkie of CNBC contributed to this story./n
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