President Joe Biden has announced 13 new measures as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) intended to reduce gun violence and save lives.
The announcement comes in the wake of the fatal shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, last year, which reignited calls for reform and led to the enactment of the historic BSCA.
Among the new actions, the president seeks to keep guns out of dangerous hands, bolster mental health assistance for those affected by gun violence, increase school safety, and expand community violence intervention.
To this end, the White House, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, plans to increase state and local law enforcement’s response rates, enhance background checks, and urge states to allow the federal background check system to access all relevant records.
The president’s initiative builds upon the accomplishments of the BSCA, which has resulted in the denial of over 160 firearm transactions due to enhanced background checks for individuals under 21 and a 52% increase in prosecutions for unlicensed firearms between 2021 and 2022.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
