McBath, Neguse Urge White House to Appoint a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention, Establish Task Force

Press Release

In a letter released this morning, Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06), Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and fellow Task Force member Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02) urged President Biden to name a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention and create an Interagency Task Force on the issue severely affecting the safety of the American public. The letter comes days after the White House began to push forward on an issue many wanted to see prioritized in the President's first month.

"To end gun violence, we need many voices at the table: survivors, public health experts, community leaders, law enforcement, and people from all walks of life," said McBath. "By establishing an interagency task force, the Administration can be sure we are looking at gun violence prevention from every angle as we work together to save American lives."

"Gun violence in America remains a persistent and critical threat. It's time we get serious about addressing it. In Colorado, our communities have witnessed tragedy at the hands of firearms up close and personally. If we are not doing everything we can to ensure another Columbine, another Aurora, another Highlands Ranch, does not happen again, then we are not doing enough," said Neguse. "Appointing a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention to communicate and coordinate across federal agencies, and empowering them to create an Interagency Task Force to implement a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to address this violence, will help bring our nation out from under the depths of the gun violence crisis."

"The directive to address everyday gun violence must be prioritized and operationalized from the very top of government," said Max Markham, March For Our Lives Policy Director. "We cannot stand by while our peers, disproportionately young people of color, are subject to this senseless epidemic. The commitment to address gun violence as a public health crisis must start with building a national, unified plan that includes significant short and long-term funding for research and community violence intervention programming all over the country. We are grateful for the leadership of Representatives Neguse and McBath, and look forward to working with Congress and the Biden administration in order to ensure that we stop the gun violence epidemic immediately."

In the letter, McBath and Neguse emphasize that such actions will allow for "a comprehensive government approach to address this violence," and "will help bring our nation out from under the depths of the gun violence crisis." The letter continues, "in 2020 alone, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, at least 43,561 people needlessly lost their lives due to gun violence, a 10% increase from 2019. As gun ownership soars to record levels, we fear that this violence will only continue to grow." The members write, "federal efforts to combat gun violence, including research on the impacts and causes of gun violence and law enforcement efforts to combat it, are siloed across agencies," and an interagency task force to address the issue "should formally bring together stakeholders in gun violence research and prevention."

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