Politics

Biden to Promote Plan to Reduce Gun Violence


President Biden met with a group of federal and local leaders on Monday at the White House to promote his administration’s strategy to combat an alarming rise in gun violence, kicking off a week in which he will focus on trying to shore up several domestic priorities that are confronting daunting challenges in Congress.

In remarks to reporters at the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Biden said he planned to talk about ways that the federal government can help communities fight rising crime, especially the increasing gun violence in cities.

“While there’s no one-size-fit-all approach, we know there are some things that work,” Mr. Biden said. “And the first of those that work is stemming the flow of firearms.”

The meeting — in part an effort by the president to distance himself from his party’s “defund the police” messaging — included Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police captain and Democrat who won the party’s mayoral primary contest last month, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and several police chiefs.

Mr. Adams said after the meeting that he asked Mr. Biden to ensure there is federal money available to invest in both social programs as well as law enforcement.

“One thing I’m clear about: The prerequisite to prosperity is public safety and justice,” Mr. Adams said. “And if we don’t have them both together, it doesn’t matter how many police officers you put on the street. We can’t continue to respond to symptoms. It’s time to respond to the underlying causes of violence in our city.”

In a plan unveiled late last month, Mr. Biden encouraged jurisdictions across the country to do what they can to bring down crime as hopes for federal legislation grow dim. It included urging local agencies to draw on $350 billion in funds from his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to support law enforcement. Mr. Biden has also directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to more quickly revoke the licenses of gun dealers who fail to run background checks.

Homicides rose 30 percent and gun assaults 8 percent in large American cities last year. But the issue is politically freighted for Mr. Biden and his party as they seek to have it both ways: demonstrating a commitment to fighting crime while not alienating voters angry about excessive violence by police.

Republicans have accused him of being soft on crime. But as a presidential candidate, he declined to embrace calls from the progressive wing of his own party to defund police departments after police shootings of African Americans. And as president, he has called for more investment in law enforcement agencies.



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