Kamala Harris will head the first government office against gun violence

Washington, September 21 (EFE).- The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, will head the first federal office dedicated to the fight against gun violence, which claims thousands of lives each year in the US.

The office will be tasked with coordinating various state and local agencies in the fight against gun violence and will also help implement a law passed by Congress in 2022 that was the most significant gun control measure in the last 30 years.

The creation of the office will be officially announced by the US President, Joe Biden, and by Harris herself on Friday, during a ceremony in the gardens of the White House, administration officials detailed in a call with journalists.

According to said officials, Harris was chosen to lead this initiative because of her personal passion for the issue.

As California’s attorney general (2011-2017), she played a leading role in law enforcement gun control.

During her time in the Senate from 2017 to 2021, she pushed for several initiatives to ban assault weapons and strengthen background checks for gun buyers.

“We know true freedom is not possible if people are not safe. This epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma Americans experience every day.” Harris said Thursday in a statement distributed by the White House.

“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 or a life to spare,” she added.

However, the White House has not disclosed the amount of funding allocated to this office.

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48,830 people in the United States died from firearm injuries in 2021, more than in any other year for which statistics are available. EFE

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