Orlando Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost is celebrating a political victory in efforts to advance “common sense gun policy” as President Joe Biden creates an official office to coordinate gun violence prevention efforts across federal agencies.
Through executive order, President Biden created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to reduce gun violence, which has ravaged communities across the country.
The move by President Biden comes months after Representative Frost, a Democrat, joined forces with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and gun violence prevention organizations to introduce a bill that would create the first federal office to establish a coordinated response to the gun violence epidemic that is claiming over 100 lives a day. Rep. Frost joined President Biden for the official announcement at the White House.
“As a life-long organizer and survivor of gun violence, I introduced legislation to create the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention back in March because I refuse to ever accept that the senseless gun violence destroying our communities is normal,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “I am thrilled that President Biden has answered our call. This office is the first critical step to tackling gun violence head on and ensuring that the federal government can lead in the fight to live in a world where we never lose another life because of a gun. This is a win for the gun violence prevention movement and a win for the American public.”
The new office will be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. Stefanie Feldman, a longtime gun policy advisor to President Biden, will serve as Director, alongside advocates Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox, who will join the Administration as Deputy Directors.
“This epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma that Americans experience every day,” Vice President Harris said in a statement. “The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will play a critical role in implementing President Biden’s and my efforts to reduce violence to the fullest extent under the law, while also engaging and encouraging Congressional leaders, state and local leaders, and advocates to come together to build upon the meaningful progress that we have made to save lives. Our promise to the American people is this: we will not stop working to end the epidemic of gun violence in every community, because we do not have a moment, nor a life to spare.”
The Orlando Congressman reflected on the political moment at the White House that he says “will save lives.”
“After years of organizing as a young person impacted by gun violence in America, like so many, and introducing my first bill ever to create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, it was an honor to stand alongside President Biden and Vice President Harris as the Biden Administration turned our calls for action into reality,” said Rep. Frost. “For the first time ever, we will have a federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This move will save lives.”
