Biden to push for gun safety in New York city with police chief
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[February 03, 2022]
By Jarrett Renshaw
(Reuters) - President Joe Biden will travel
to New York City on Thursday to highlight his administration’s efforts
to curb gun violence and project a united front with Mayor Eric Adams
after a series of violent crimes that has rattled the city.
Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will make the trip in
the wake of the funerals of two city police officers who were fatally
shot last month while responding to a 911 call.
The police killings are part of an overall surge in gun violence in U.S.
cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago, since the beginning of the
coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
With more guns than people, the United States is by far the most heavily
armed society in the world and sales to first-time buyers skyrocketed in
2020.
The White House and Democrats are pushing back on Republican accusations
that the party is weak on crime ahead of critical midterm elections this
November.
Biden is expected to tout the administration's five-part plan unveiled
in June that sought to stem the flow of firearms and invest in police
resources. He will also announce new efforts, such as targeting gun
trafficking from Southern states to the U.S. Northeast and getting
repeat gun offenders off the streets, a senior administration official
said.
The Justice Department is also expected to announce new efforts to crack
down on so-called ghost guns, unregistered and untraceable homemade
weapons that can be made with a 3D printer.
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![](../images/020322pics/news_d41.jpg)
President Joe Biden speaks at an event to reignite the 'Cancer
Moonshot' initiative with a goal to reduce cancer death by 50
percent over the next 25 years, in the East Room at the White House
in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 2, 2022. REUTERS/Cheriss May
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/guzzardos_lda_LUAL_2017.png) From January of 2016 to the end of
2020, there were 23,906 suspected ghost guns reported to the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including 325 used in
homicides, or attempted homicides, a senior administration official
said.
"The trend line here is troubling," the official said.
Biden will first travel to New York Police headquarters to join a
meeting of the gun violence strategic partnership, which meets five
days a week to share intelligence and develop plans. He will then go
to a school to meet community leaders to talk prevention.
"The president is going to New York City because it is a community
where they continue, like many other cities across the country, to
experience a spike in gun violence as a result of the pandemic," a
senior official said.
Biden's visit to the country's biggest city will be his first since
Adams was sworn in as mayor at the beginning of the year. A former
police officer, Adams centered his campaign on improving public
safety, and he has repeatedly spoken with optimism about his ability
to work with Biden.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons)
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