Biden Launching Gun Violence Prevention Push 

U.S. President Joe Biden is traveling to New York Thursday to highlight a new push by his administration to combat gun crime. 

The White House said the initiative includes efforts to crack down on the trafficking of firearms between states, such as ones that are sold in the southeastern part of the country and are later used in crimes in areas such as New York. 

The Biden administration is also launching a program to better investigate and prosecute those who use homemade guns that lack serial numbers, also known as ghost guns. 

Other areas of focus are prioritizing federal prosecutions of those who unlawfully sell a gun that is later used in a violent crime and having the Justice Department partner with local and state law enforcement agencies to work on identifying and addressing the specific factors driving crime in those areas. 

During Thursday’s visit, Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland are to attend an interagency gun violence meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York state Governor Kathy Hochul, and to speak with local leaders about community intervention efforts to help prevent crime. 

Adams, who took office at the beginning of the year, has issued his own outline of programs to address gun violence, many focusing on similar issues such as gun trafficking and boosting youth employment and mental health services. 

“We must do the work to end this epidemic of gun violence and deliver real peace and safety to our streets,” Adams tweeted Wednesday as he noted the shooting of an off-duty police officer in the city. 

Two New York officers were killed in a shooting last month. 

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press. 

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