Biden sets up White House office on gun violence prevention

U.S. President Joe Biden is establishing a new office of gun violence prevention to implement existing safety laws and work with states on the issue, officials said on Thursday.
The new office will be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris and run with the help of leading gun safety advocates, officials told reporters on a conference call.
“I’ll continue to urge Congress to take common sense actions that the majority of Americans support like enacting universal background checks and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement.
“But in the absence of that sorely-needed action, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention along with the rest of my Administration will continue to do everything it can to combat the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our families, our communities, and our country apart,” he said.
Democrats largely favor stricter gun laws as a way to reduce deaths from gun violence at 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 U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment.