By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
With around 100 state lawmakers from 39 states in attendance, the White House on Wednesday released its “Safer States Agenda” detailing the Biden-Harris administration’s gun control game plan, and among the six tenets is a recommendation to “Reinforce Responsible Gun Ownership.”
Included under that heading are these sub-topics:
- Require Safe Storage of Firearms and Make Storage Options Accessible
- Require Reporting of Lost and Stolen Firearms
- Remove Firearms from Dangerous Domestic Abusers
These are among “key actions states should take” to “reduce gun violence,” according to the administration scheme. Other points are:
- Establish a State Office of Gun Violence Prevention
- Invest in Evidence-informed Solutions to Prevent and Respond to Gun Violence
- Strengthen Support for Survivors and Victims of Gun Violence
- Reinforce Responsible Gun Ownership
- Strengthen Gun Background Checks
- Hold the Gun Industry Accountable
The sixth item on this list is a revival of President Joe Biden’s desire to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, signed by former President George W. Bush. This prevents junk lawsuits against the firearms industry.
Lawmakers from the following states were invited: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
According to ABC News, Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the event. Gun control, the network reported, “figures heavily into Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign, which hopes to reach younger voters who are deeply concerned about gun violence.”
The Department of Justice has reportedly produced model legislation for state lawmakers covering such things as so-called “safe storage” and reporting lost or stolen firearms. Watch for such bills to be introduced starting next month when state legislatures convene for their 2024 sessions.
Politico is reporting that both Biden and Harris “have talked repeatedly about safe storage laws.” According to Stefanie Feldman, the director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the majority of K-12 shooters use firearms they’ve obtained from their home or the home of a friend, Politico reported.
According to ABC News, Feldman acknowledged having met with state legislators ever since the Office of Gun Violence was launched.
As for actually dealing with crime and apprehending and punishing violent criminals, this is what the administration plan states: “The Biden-Harris Administration can assist states to build and strengthen Crime Gun Intelligence Centers that improve crime gun ballistic information collection, crime gun tracing, and other intelligence gathering to help generate leads, connect guns with multiple crime scenes, and identify gun trafficking channels.”
There are two sections dealing with suicide prevention and extreme risk protection orders (ERPO or “red flag” laws).
“C. Improve Lethal Means Safety for People at Risk of Suicide: Studies have shown that reducing access to lethal means, including firearms and medications—particularly in times of crisis—saves lives. Many evidence-based lethal means intervention strategies are available, including cable locks, gun safes, off-site storage sites, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders. State should invest in the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline crisis call centers and mobile crisis response teams. They should also invest in providing training and resources for crisis responders and natural helpers on safety planning, which includes discussions about making the environment safe through lethal means interventions for people in crisis. The Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive military and veteran suicide prevention strategy establishes an unprecedented federal focus on improving lethal means safety as a tool to save lives. The Biden-Harris Administration has run the largest-ever public awareness campaign focused on lethal means safety and provided guidance to federally licensed gun dealers on how to provide temporary storage on their premises so they can serve as off-site storage for people in crisis.
“D. Enact and Implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders: Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)—sometimes referred to as “red flag” orders—allow certain individuals to petition courts to temporarily remove access to firearms from someone in a crisis. ERPOs are a critically important part of a comprehensive effort centered on targeted violence intervention, school safety, and suicide prevention efforts. States should not only enact ERPOs but ensure effective ERPO implementation, which requires training courts and law enforcement regarding their roles in the ERPO process, increasing public awareness about ERPOs, and ensuring there is storage available when guns are temporarily seized under an ERPO. In June 2021, the Department of Justice issued model state ERPO legislation. Since then, two additional states have enacted ERPO laws. The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program— funded by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) —provides states with funding to implement crisis interventions. The Biden-Harris Administration encourages states to use this funding to implement ERPOs and to allocate additional state funds to these efforts. In 2024, Johns Hopkins will launch the BSCA-funded National ERPO Resource Center to help law enforcement and other leaders implement this life-saving tool.”
Essentially, it appears the administration is turning to allies in state legislatures to expand gun control at the state level, rather than trying to move legislation through Congress.
According to ABC News, Harris told visiting lawmakers, it is “our responsibility, our chosen responsibility, dare I say our duty, to do the work of laying the path to get where we need to go. … And there are best practices to be fair, including not only what people write in terms of proposing legislation, but how you think about work and how you will think about messaging, how you will think about empowering and uplifting.”
