Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
President Joe Biden is set to launch a new federal office of “gun violence prevention” Friday in Washington, D.C. as the 38th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference kicks off in Phoenix, Arizona. (IMG whitehouse-gov)
Anti-gun Democrat President Joe Biden will reportedly announce this Friday the creation of what Fox News is calling “of the first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention,” ironically on the same day the 2023 Gun Rights Policy Conference opens in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Hill reports that the new White House office will have the formal name “Office of Gun Violence Prevention.” We have yet to see whether it actually prevents so-called “gun violence” or merely pushes more restrictive gun control schemes.
Co-sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the 38th annual GRPC will convene at the Marriott Phoenix Airport Hotel, and this year’s theme is “Road to Liberty.”
But Second Amendment activists see Biden wanting to travel down a different road, one headed into a mire of gun bans, so-called “expanded background checks,” licensing and training mandates, and other machinations that would ultimately lead to gutting the Second Amendment and turning the right to keep and bear arms into a government-regulated privilege.
As noted by Politico, “The new office will present an opportunity for the president to point to his action on gun safety at a time when Congress is unlikely to pass additional legislation, potentially increasing enthusiasm among key voting blocs, including young people.”
Translation: It’s a campaign gimmick, as well as an ominous indication of a ramped-up war on gun rights.
Press reports say the effort is being led by White House Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman, described as “a longtime Biden aide with expertise on firearms issues.” Additionally, the Washington Post reports that gun control proponents, such as Greg Jackson, executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund, and Rob Wilcox, senior director for federal government affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, will participate.
But will this new Biden administration office actually produce any reduction in violent crime involving firearms? Buried in the Politico report is one possible answer. Recalling last year’s passage and signing of Biden’s “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” which strengthened background checks and “helped states implement red flag laws,” Political noted the bad news from the Gun Violence Archive: “Nevertheless, there have been 504 mass shootings in which four or more people were injured or killed during 2023 alone.”
Just how far anti-gun-rights Democrats want to push their agenda was best illustrated earlier this month when New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a “public health emergency” in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County and decreed a 30-day ban on the open or concealed carry of firearms. It took a half-dozen federal lawsuits and criticism from members of her own party, plus the granting of a temporary restraining order by a judge to force the governor to pull back, but only a little bit.
Biden rode into the White House with a political agenda that included major gun restrictions. He has shown no sign of moderation, and many view the creation of this new office as a way to get around Congressional reluctance to adopt new measures.
Fox News is reporting that Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX) has re-introduced legislation to “prohibit the president and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring public health emergencies to enforce gun control measures.” It appears to be in reaction to Lujan Grisham’s effort.
“That is unacceptable, and it is Congress’ duty to prevent it,” Cloud reportedly said, according to the Fox report. “The Biden administration, Gov. Grisham, and others have exercised extraordinary executive power to push their liberal agenda and expand the power of the government. My bill would push back against any infringement on the Second Amendment and prevent the federal government from gaming the system to implement sweeping gun control regulations.”
Participants will likely discuss all of this during this weekend’s Gun Rights Conference. There will be several leading Second Amendment advocates at the event, which will see panel discussions on significant gun rights issues. The conference typically attracts hundreds of grassroots activists from across the country.
The list of speakers includes SAF President Masad Ayoob, National Review’s John Fund, SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, Nationally-syndicated radio personalities Tom Gresham and Mark Walters, Ammoland founder and editor Fredy Riehl, plus John Lott, author and founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center, several attorneys who focus on Second Amendment litigation, and Robert Cottrol, author and law professor at George Washington University.
While some might view the timing of Biden’s announcement as likely to throw water on the conference, quite the opposite outcome is likely. Perhaps another gun control announcement by a president who devoted much of his Capitol Hill career to championing every restrictive gun control measure would energize the conference attendees more than anything else.