White House Announces the Establishment of Office of Gun Violence Prevention

On September 22, the Biden Administration announced the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The office is expected to accelerate executive action and prioritize legislation that reduces gun violence in the United States. During the announcement, the Biden Administration stressed the importance of confronting the issue in a timely manner, highlighting the administration’s ongoing efforts to expand gun violence prevention, including the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022.

The priorities of the office include:

1. Expediting the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act; 
2. Coordinating more support for survivors, families, and communities affected by gun violence; 
3. Identifying new executive actions the Biden Administration can take to reduce gun violence; 
4. Expanding the Biden Administration’s coalition of partners and states to pass gun violence prevention legislation.

For more information on how social science research can be used to create evidence-based policy for gun violence prevention, visit COSSA’s blog, “Why Social Science?”, for a short series on the issue.