Friend,

Today we celebrate! President Biden just announced a series of executive actions to curb the gun violence epidemic that has taken hold of communities across the country. Your advocacy, campaigning, and organizing have led to this major victory.

Today’s efforts include a proposed rule to stop the proliferation of "ghost" guns that are increasingly the shooting weapon of choice in cities. They include regulation of stabilizing braces, which appeared to help the Boulder shooter kill 10 people with deadly accuracy. And they include information to ensure a $5 billion investment in community-based violence interventions gets to the right people.¹

Already, the NRA and their allies in Congress are speaking out against these life-saving actions, despite a majority of Americans supporting stricter gun laws.² It is critical President Biden knows that Pennsylvanians, who were integral in sending him to the White House, have his back on ending gun violence.

The Biden administration is taking specific action against the spread of “ghost guns,” a phenomenon familiar to Pennsylvanians. And because of your advocacy, in tandem with efforts from Attorney General Shapiro’s office, Pennsylvania was able to set the precedent for action on ending the spread of deadly ghost guns.

Two years ago, when ghost guns first started appearing more at crime scenes, we worked with Attorney General Shapiro to require ghost guns to follow the same laws as any other firearm. Soon after President Biden rose to the White House, thousands of CeaseFirePA supporters called for him to act. And weeks ago, the biggest gun show promoter in Pennsylvania became the first in the nation to ban the sale of these deadly weapons.

Today’s success includes personnel in addition to policy. President Biden has nominated a top policy advisor from Giffords to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for firearm regulation. Having a gun safety advocate in charge of the ATF will usher in a new era of violence prevention and firearm reforms by working in tandem with major gun manufacturers. Sign our Thank You Card.

We know today’s announcements are just the beginning of the Biden Administration’s efforts to end gun violence. By thanking President Biden and showing our support, we can signal momentum in the push for executive action and federal legislation on gun safety.

The work to end gun violence continues, but today we celebrate. I’m grateful to the Biden Administration for taking this step toward federal gun reform, and I’m grateful to you — the CeaseFirePA community — for your continued advocacy and commitment to ending gun violence. Together, we can win this fight.
 

Adam Garber
Executive Director, CeaseFirePA

¹White House, Fact Sheet, Biden-Harris Administration Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic, April 7, 2021.
²Gallup News, Polls, Guns, 2020.