Biden to promote Justice Department crackdown on gun trafficking

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday that the Justice Department has charged more than 500 defendants with violating the gun-trafficking and straw-buying provisions of a new security law of firearms enacted two years ago, the White House announced.

The Democratic president, facing a tough battle against former President Donald Trump to win a second term in November’s presidential election, plans to highlight his administration’s efforts to reduce crime as the second anniversary of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA).

He will inform gun violence survivors, mayors, parents, educators, and concerned citizens about his administration’s work to remove illegal guns from the streets, hire more police officers, and promote policing and intervention programs responsible for community violence, the White House said.

Biden on Monday praised preliminary data released by the FBI, which shows that murders decreased by 26% in the first quarter of 2024, while robberies fell by almost 18% and violent crime overall decreased by 15%.

“The progress we are seeing is no accident,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “My administration is putting more cops on the ground, holding violent criminals accountable, and getting illegal guns off the streets. »

The White House noted that the Trump administration saw the largest increase in murders on record.

Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said gun violence was a major issue in the presidential campaign, with polls showing more than 70% of Americans support common-sense gun violence prevention, including vast majority of Black, Latin American and young Americans.

“President Biden has taken decisive action to combat gun violence, including passing the first bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly three decades,” Munoz said in a statement.

Biden’s remarks will come as jurors continue their deliberations in the case of his son, Hunter Biden, accused of lying about his illegal drug use when he bought a handgun in 2018.

Democrats largely support stricter gun laws as a way to reduce deaths from gun violence in schools and in cities across the country.

Republicans, with the support of the National Rifle Association, a gun rights group, largely oppose stricter laws, citing the right to bear arms established in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump, who last month won the support of the nation’s largest gun rights group, has pledged to dismantle gun regulations put in place by Biden.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal)