Fellow Advocate, 

President Biden isn’t wasting a single moment of his final days in office. I'm about to meet with him, Vice President Harris, and other gun violence prevention advocates and survivors from across the country to celebrate the historic drops in gun homicide over the past few years. Then, we'll go straight back to work with a suite of new Executive Orders – including one to address the growing threat from machine gun conversion “switches” like the one likely used at last weekend’s mass shooting in Alabama^[1]. These policies will keep driving our efforts to save lives from the scourge of gun violence. 

Can you join me in taking a minute to send a message of thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris for their life-saving leadership and encourage them to keep building momentum?

Here’s the headline from today: the whole-of-government response led by the Biden-Harris administration has led to a 16% decline in homicides across Pennsylvania in 2023^[2]. And the four new Executive Orders announced today will help reinforce this life-saving progress here in PA and around the country.

Though here’s what the national news might not cover, but what everyone at the White House today knows is true: these historic gun violence reductions are because of you. You’re the backbone of a grassroots movement that has shifted the politics of gun violence prevention from what used to be considered a “third rail” in Washington to now a top-tier issue with serious policy commitments and investments from the highest levels. 

But that transformation – these life-saving policies – doesn’t happen automatically. It happened because we pushed. And now we need to show appreciation to President Biden and Vice President Harris so they know we have their back as they keep pushing for more progress.

Here’s some highlights of what we're talking about today with President Biden and Vice President Harris:

- Celebrating the first year of successes^[3] for the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including distributing millions of dollars in funding to evidence-based, community-based violence intervention efforts. These investments are a huge part of the historic drop in gun violence.

- Four new Executive Orders^[4] to rein in the threat from machine gun converters and 3-D printed firearms, strengthen background checks, reduce the trauma from school active shooter drills, and open up more funding streams for community-based efforts to stop shootings before they destroy lives. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris know that the best way to lock-in these life-saving gains is a collaborative approach between federal and state efforts. So while we keep fighting for change in Harrisburg, let’s show our national leaders that we will back them up and stand with them for safer communities.

Standing with you,

Adam Garber
Executive Director
CeaseFirePA

1. https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/24/us/conversion-device-glock-switch-birmingham-shooting/index.html
2. https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/pccd-details.aspx?newsid=118
3. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Year-One-Report-Final.pdf
4. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/09/26/fact-sheet-president-biden-and-vice-president-harris-announce-additional-actions-to-reduce-gun-violence-and-save-lives/