The White House is trying to enlist school leaders to help spread the word about the importance of safely storing firearms to protect children. The new initiative will be unveiled Thursday in an event for school principals with first lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Also participating will be Stefanie Feldman, who runs the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Quick Read
White House Initiative for Safe Firearm Storage in Schools: Key Points
- New Initiative Announcement: The White House is launching an initiative focused on the importance of safely storing firearms to protect children, particularly in school environments.
- Event Featuring Jill Biden and Miguel Cardona: The initiative will be unveiled in an event for school principals, featuring First Lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
- Involvement of Gun Violence Prevention Office: Stefanie Feldman, head of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, will participate in the event, emphasizing the role of safe storage in preventing gun-related tragedies.
- Focus on Reducing Suicides and School Shootings: The initiative highlights safe storage as a key measure to reduce suicides by firearms and school shootings, where guns are often sourced from shooters’ homes.
- Parental Concerns Addressed: The initiative acknowledges the fears of parents regarding gun violence during school hours and aims to alleviate these concerns through improved safety measures.
- Guidance and Materials Distribution: The Justice Department will release a guide on safe firearm storage, and the Education Department will distribute related materials to schools for sharing with families.
- Reliance on Voluntary Measures: Given the challenges in passing stricter gun control laws in Congress, the administration is focusing on voluntary measures and limited executive action.
- Lack of Federal Lock-Up Law: Currently, there is no federal requirement for gun owners to lock up their firearms, but the White House supports the implementation of such rules at the state level.
The Associated Press has the story:
White House launches gun safety initiative with first lady Jill Biden
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The White House is trying to enlist school leaders to help spread the word about the importance of safely storing firearms to protect children.
The new initiative will be unveiled Thursday in an event for school principals with first lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Also participating will be Stefanie Feldman, who runs the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“We know safe storage of firearms can save lives, especially by reducing suicide by firearms and school shootings,” Feldman told reporters.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children, and most guns used in school shootings are taken from the shooter’s home.
“I know that there are some parents who wake up every day, drop their kids off for school and while they’re watching their kids walk through that door, there’s just a little part of them that worries about gun violence during the school day,” Feldman said.
As part of the announcement, the Justice Department will release a guide to safe firearm storage, and the Education Department will distribute materials to schools that can be shared with families.
The administration has relied on initiatives like this one, which involves limited executive action and promoting voluntary measures, at a time when tougher gun control proposals are nonstarters in Congress.
There’s no federal law requiring gun owners to lock up their firearms, although the White House has encouraged such rules to be implemented at the state level.
