Readout of White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Convening of State Offices of Gun Violence Prevention

On July 17, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention convened over 30 state government officials from 16 states, including leaders from 12 state Offices of Gun Violence Prevention (OVPs). The convening brought together key violence prevention leaders to

• Share strategies around gun violence prevention that have contributed to the historic decrease in homicide across the nation;
• Identify what collaboration with local, state, and federal offices can and should look like;
• Discuss the importance of raising awareness around gun violence prevention work; and
• Receive information on federal resources available to the state OVPs.

These conversations build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s long record of empowering state government leaders, who know their communities, to intervene against and prevent gun violence. In attendance were representatives from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Representatives from the United States Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented on the resources and programs their agencies offer to support the work of gun violence prevention. The convening also amplified the variety of federal resources available to support community violence intervention efforts and strategies, including through President’s Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant legislation to prevent gun violence in nearly 30 years.

The President continues to use every tool at his disposal to keep Americans safe from violent crime, including the public health crisis of gun violence. State OVPs, a solution recommended in White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s Safer States Agenda, are a critical piece of a comprehensive effort to keep communities safe.

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