{"id":135782,"date":"2022-02-04T22:44:09","date_gmt":"2022-02-05T06:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=135782"},"modified":"2022-02-04T22:44:09","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T06:44:09","slug":"president-biden-at-a-gun-violence-prevention-task-force-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=135782","title":{"rendered":"President Biden at a Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>New York, NY&#8230;Okay.  Well, General Garland; Governor; Mr. Mayor; Representative Jeffers [sic] \u2014 Jeffries, excuse me; Representative Vel\u00e1zquez \u2014 they rode up on the flight with me \u2014 and other members of Congress that are here: Thank you.  And I just want to thank Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell and the law \u2014 all the law enforcements here today for \u2014 not having me, for what you do every single day.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lhHykTGNpZY\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u2014 and let me start by saying Detective Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera are the \u201cwho\u201d and \u201cwhat\u201d law enforcement ought to be.  And the \u2014 Senator Gillibrand and I have talked about that on the way up as well.<\/p>\n<p>     I\u2019ve spoken to their families, and \u2014 and their loss for the city is also a loss for the nation.  You know, the future is cut short by a man with a stolen Glock with 40 rounds \u2014 a magazine with 40 rounds.  And it\u2019s really a weapon of war. <\/p>\n<p>One of the things I was proudest of years ago, when I was in the Senate \u2014 I was able to get these weapons and the size of magazines outlawed.  That got changed.  It got overruled.  But I don\u2019t see any rationale to why there should be such a weapon able to be purchased.  It doesn\u2019t violate anybody\u2019s Second Amendment rights to deny that. <\/p>\n<p>But anyway, their futures were cut short by a man with a stolen Glock and that 40-round magazine. <\/p>\n<p>And I tell you, I want to thank the man back to my left \u2014 I think he\u2019s sitting right there \u2014 for taking on.  Stand up. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you\u2019ll excuse a \u2014 as we used to say in the Senate, \u201ca point of personal privilege,\u201d I \u2014 when everything \u2014 when the economy died in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and I moved down to Delaware with my dad and my mom and the family, I moved to a little town called Claymont, Delaware.  And it was a steel town just across the border from Pennsylvania, right up in that arc. <\/p>\n<p>And I went to \u2014 I spent 12 years going to school there.  Or actually, not 12; I started in third grade.  At any rate, I went to a school \u2014 a little Catholic school called Holy Rosary, across from a small police department and a fire hall.  And everybody that I grew up with either became a cop, a firefighter, or a priest.  I wasn\u2019t qualified for any of them, so here I am.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>But I admire the hell out of all of you.  I really do.  It\u2019s not \u2014 I\u2019m not being solicitous.  I mean it sincerely.<\/p>\n<p>And to the many parents, spouses, brothers, sisters who have to bury a piece of their soul in the deep earth, it\u2019s really tough stuff.  It\u2019s hard as hell \u2014 you all know it \u2014 to lose a colleague, to lose a son, a daughter, a husband, wife.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to thank \u2014 if \u2014 there are not many here, but I want to thank all the spouses of every one of you or your significant other, because every time you pin that shield on and walk out the door, they\u2019re worried whether they\u2019re going to get that phone call \u2014 get that phone call.  And too many have gotten the phone call lately. <\/p>\n<p>And every day in this country, 316 people are shot, 106 are killed.  And six NYPD officers have been victims of gun violence so far, just this year \u2014 the same in the town north of me, Philadelphia; and my much smaller town of Wilmington, Delaware; and Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n<p>Sixty-four children injured by gun violence so far this year, twenty-six killed.  It\u2019s enough.  Enough is enough. <\/p>\n<p>Because we know we can do things about this but for the resistance we\u2019re getting from some sectors of the government and the Congress and the state legislatures and the organizational structures out there.<\/p>\n<p>You know, Mayor Adams, you and I agree: The answer is not to abandon our streets.  That\u2019s not the answer.  The answer is to come together, the police and communities, building trust and making us all safer. <\/p>\n<p>The answer is not to defund the police, it\u2019s to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors.  And the community needs you \u2014 and know the community.  You know \u2014 (applause) \u2014 police \u2014 policing that treats everyone with respect and dignity. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I called on the Congress to pass a budget later this year that provides cities, like New York and others, with an additional $300 million for community policing, you know, where the police interact with the community, get to know the community, build trust in the community. <\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ve noticed, in my experience \u2014 when I wrote the first crime bill, I noticed that, you know, I don\u2019t hear many communities \u2014 no matter what their color or their background \u2014 saying, \u201cI don\u2019t want more protection in my community.\u201d  I don\u2019t know, I haven\u2019t found one of those yet. <\/p>\n<p>And so, I\u2019ve asked the Congress to provide $200 million to invest in community violence intervention programs as well \u2014 they work; they work \u2014 where community members with credibility work directly with people that are most likely to commit crimes or be victims of gun crimes.  And they work. <\/p>\n<p>For example, in 2017, the program I\u2019m going to see this afternoon, which sends people to the community \u2014 in the community to interrupt violence, to mediate conflicts, to de-escalate \u2014 succeed in preventing single \u2014 a single shooting from occurring in this largest public housing development last year.  No shooting for a full year because they engaged directly with the community. <\/p>\n<p>You know, I know this is a priority for Senator Schumer, what you all are doing here.  If I hear one more call from him that we need more money for housing and more money for cops \u2014 I don\u2019t know, I\u2019m going to send him back to you all.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>     But all kidding aside, this is a \u2014 this is a half a billion dollars of proven strategies, and we know it will reduce crime. <\/p>\n<p>     Congress needs to do its job to pass the budget.  Every one of these folks here from Congress are all supportive. <\/p>\n<p>     But, you know, it\u2019s time to fund communities, community police, and the people who are going to protect them. <\/p>\n<p>     Look, as I said, we\u2019re not about defunding; we\u2019re about funding and providing the additional services you need beyond someone with a gun strapped to their shoulder or to their hip.<\/p>\n<p>     We need more social workers.  We need mental health workers.  We need more people who when you\u2019re called on these scenes and someone is about to jump off a roof, there\u2019s not just someone standing there with a \u2014 with a weapon; it\u2019s someone who also knows how to talk to people \u2014 talk them down.  We can\u2019t expect you to do every single, solitary thing that needs to be done to keep a community safe.  It\u2019s time to fund community policing to protect and serve the community. <\/p>\n<p>And so, I\u2019m also calling for increased funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the U.S. Marshals offices.  I\u2019m confident that if we fund these programs, we\u2019ll see a reduction in violence. <\/p>\n<p>     In the next year\u2019s budget, I\u2019m also going to try to double down on this investment.  I think I got a lot of partners here in New York that are going to help.<\/p>\n<p>     Mayor Adams, you say that gun violence is a sea fed by many rivers.  Well, you know, I put forward a plan to dam up some of those streams.<\/p>\n<p>You know, you can count on me to be a partner in that effort.  And I have the U.S. Attorney \u2014 United States Attorney General here with me today.  And we put together a comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and many other cities \u2014 San Francisco. <\/p>\n<p>     First, we want to crack down on the flow of firearms used to commit violence.  That includes taking on and shutting down rogue gun dealers at \u2014 and it\u2019s about doing background checks, as well as outright selling of that \u2014 making sure the people who are not allowed to have a gun, don\u2019t get the gun in the first place. <\/p>\n<p>     And again, for any of the press in here, the press listening: This doesn\u2019t violate anybody\u2019s Second Amendment right.  There\u2019s no violation of a Second Amendment right. <\/p>\n<p>     We talk like there\u2019s no amendment that\u2019s absolute.  When the amendment was passed, it didn\u2019t say anybody can own a gun and any kind of gun and any kind of weapon.  You couldn\u2019t buy a cannon in \u2014 when the \u2014 this \u2014 this amendment was passed.  And so, no reason why you should be able to buy certain assault weapons.  But that\u2019s another issue. <\/p>\n<p>     And look, one of the things that we focused on, the Attorney General and I \u2014 and we\u2019re getting to the point where I think we\u2019re going to be able to have a real impact on it \u2014 includes going after ghost guns.<\/p>\n<p>     Ghost guns are the guns everyone in this room knows that can be purchased in parts, assembled at home, no serial number, and can\u2019t be traced.  And they\u2019re as deadly as any other weapon out there.  But the fact is: They are out there. <\/p>\n<p>     And, you know, this spring, the Justice Department \u2014 this spring, the Justice Department will issue a final rule to regulate these so-called \u201cghost guns.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>     But there\u2019s more we can do.  Across the country, police departments reported sharp increases in the number of ghost guns found at crime scenes.  That\u2019s why, today, the department is launching an intes- \u2014 an intensified National Ghost Gun Enforcement Initiative to determine and deter criminals from using those weapons to cover their tracks. <\/p>\n<p>     If you commit a crime to the ghost gun, not only are state and local prosecutors going to come after you, but expect federal charges and federal prosecution as well. <\/p>\n<p>     We\u2019ve also created a strike force to crack down on illegal gun trafficking across state lines.  As the mayor said, as he pointed out, guns that are used to kill people in New York City, they aren\u2019t made in New York City, they aren\u2019t sold in New York City.  They are sold in other places.<\/p>\n<p>     Today, the Attorney General directed all U.S. attorneys in the United States to prioritize combating gun trafficking across state lines and city boundaries. <\/p>\n<p>     The Justice Department is sending additional prosecutorial resources to help shut down what\u2019s referred to, as you all know, as the \u201cIron Pipeline\u201d that funnels guns from shops in states like Georgia to crime scenes in Baltimore and Philadelphia and New York and so many other places.<\/p>\n<p>Governor, you worked with the mayor and the NYPD and nine other states to create an Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns.  That\u2019s the kind of leadership that\u2019s going to solve the problem.  And I\u2019m eager to hear more about that progress.<\/p>\n<p>And, folks, the second thing I want to point out is I want to help every major city follow New York\u2019s lead to put together partnerships like this one you put together that meet on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<p>Every day, here in New York City, like this meeting today, federal, state, and local enforcement meet to share intelligence about arrests, shootings from the day before, and work to take those shooters off the streets as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Just look around: This is what a partnership looks like, and this is what you put together.  And it\u2019s an important partnership.  And we need more cities adopting the same model. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why, today, the Attorney General is also directing U.S. attorneys to work with state and local law enforcement to strength \u2014 to strengthen partnerships like this one and to get repeat gun violence offenders off the street and behind bars.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I want more cities and states to use some of the $350 billion we sent to them on the American Rescue Plan to fight crime, to keep our communities safe by hiring more police officers for community policing and paying police overtime, and purchasing gun-fighting technologies, like technologies that hears, locates gunshots so there can be immediate response because you know exactly where it came from.<\/p>\n<p>The third thing our plan calls for: investing in critical services that reduce crime and violence; community violence intervention programs, like the one I\u2019m going to see after this meeting; summer school; afterschool programs for teens. <\/p>\n<p>As the saying goes and the teachers have taught me, \u201cAn idle mind is a devil\u2019s workshop.\u201d  We got to have things for these kids to do, jobs for young adults, more school counselors and nurses, more mental health required in school, and mental health\/substance abuse treatment as well.<\/p>\n<p>Fourthly, with someone \u2014 when someone finishes their time in prison, all our experience tells us you just can\u2019t continue to give them 25 bucks and a bus ticket.  They\u2019ll end up under the same bridge you arrested them in the first place from. <\/p>\n<p>And so I don\u2019t want \u2014 I don\u2019t want them ending up back in prison or being there because they\u2019ve committed another crime.  We need to be able to train for and get a job, find stable housing, reenter society, and have a second chance at a better life.<\/p>\n<p>My Department of Labor is funding programs that help formerly incarcerated individuals, including young adults, receive the education and training they need and then connect them to quality jobs.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll keep doing everything in my power to make sure that communities are safer.  But Congress needs to do its part too: pass universal background checks, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, close loopholes, and keep out of the hands of domestic abusers \u2014 weapons, repeal the liability shield for gun manufacturers. <\/p>\n<p>Imagine had we had a liability \u2014 they\u2019re the only industry in America that is exempted from being able to be sued by the public.  The only one.  Imagine had that been the way with cigarette manufacturers.  Where the hell would we \u2014 where the heck would we be?  We\u2019d be in tough shape. <\/p>\n<p>Why gun manufacturers?  Because of the power of their lobbying ability.  It\u2019s got to end.  End.  They\u2019ve got to be held responsible for the things that they do that are irresponsible. <\/p>\n<p>And, folks, you know, it\u2019s the only industry in America, as I said, that\u2019s exempt from being sued.  And I think \u2014 I find it to be outrageous.<\/p>\n<p>And, folks, these laws, if we\u2019re able to pass them, are going to save lives, and more \u2014 and equally importantly, help you protect one another and protect yourself, put law enforcement in a more \u2014 a safer circumstance.<\/p>\n<p>We have an opportunity to come together and fulfill the first responsibility of government and our democracy: to keep each other safe.<\/p>\n<p>So, I want to thank you all.  There\u2019s much more to say, but I probably already said too much, because a lot of people are going to speak.  But let\u2019s get this done.  Let\u2019s get this done.<\/p>\n<p>And God bless the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day to keep our communities safe. <\/p>\n<p>Now I\u2019m going to turn it over, with your permission, to the Attorney General \u2014 Attorney General Garland.  General?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York, NY&#8230;Okay. Well, General Garland; Governor; Mr. Mayor; Representative Jeffers [sic] \u2014 Jeffries, excuse me; Representative Vel\u00e1zquez \u2014 they rode up on the flight with me \u2014 and other members of Congress that are here: Thank you. And I just want to thank Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell and the law \u2014 all the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,16,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-law-enforcement","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fullscreen-capture-242022-103455-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135784,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135782\/revisions\/135784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}