More than 300,000 background checks conducted for youths, violent criminals
The White House credited a sharp reduction in violent crimes to enhanced background checks for at-risk individuals who attempted to purchase firearms in the last year. President Joe Biden set up a new White House office of gun violence prevention one year ago, which directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct enhanced background checks for two key demographics attempting to purchase a firearm; those under the age of 21 and those previously convicted of violent domestic crimes. Since then, the FBI has conducted over 300,000 enhanced background checks, catching and blocking over 9,000 purchases attempted by at-risk individuals.
In the time after the office was put in place, homicides have reportedly dropped by 17 percent, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. Mass shootings also went down by 20 percent in that same period.
“The further away you get from Washington, the less political this issue actually is,” said Stefanie Feldman, the head of the new office. “Everyone wants their kid to come home from school safely. Everyone wants their kid to be able to go play in the neighborhood and be safe.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president, vice president, and administration officials as they seek to prevent gun violence and crimes.
- For FBI Director Wray to seek God’s guidance as he heads the bureau.
Sources: Reuters, Fox Phoenix
