State Attorney Andrew Bain released the following statement in response to the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s June 2024 Report on the Implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA):
“I commend the White House’s bipartisan efforts to reduce gun violence and reaffirm my office’s commitment to reducing gun violence through upholding the law and a community-based approach.
“Gun violence is an ongoing issue in our community and across the nation and we must act to implement comprehensive strategies to address it. The BSCA report stated that 80% of murders in the United States involve a gun. In Central Florida alone, we saw a 69% increase in shootings and a 48% increase in homicides from 2019-2022 according to the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. And while all those homicides may not have included a firearm, addressing gun crime is essential to addressing violent crime.
“Our mission at the state attorney’s office is to create safer communities by upholding and enforcing the law to hold offenders accountable. Our work to disrupt violent activity and protect the public’s safety by getting violent and repeat offenders off the streets helps reduce gun violence.
“More must also be done to keep guns out of the hands of those who would use them to commit crimes. Safe gun storage and responsible ownership are crucial steps in reducing gun violence and preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands. Our office is working on initiatives to raise awareness about these practices and to promote community education on gun safety.
“We must also invest in crime prevention and intervention strategies and are doing that through our Turning Pages juvenile literacy program and Second Chance diversion programs.
“The White House report highlighted community violence interventions (CVI), which the Orlando Police Department and the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department collaborated on to implement in 2023.
“We remain committed to working with the City of Orlando on its CVI initiative to reduce gun violence in our community and look forward to creating new partnerships and strengthening existing ones to keep our communities safer.”
The Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s Office serves Orange County and Osceola County in Central Florida.
Fore more information, check the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s June 2024 Report on the Implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
