Statement from President Joe Biden on Historic Declines in Crime in 2024
This year, the homicide and violent crime rates have continued their rapid decline from their peaks during the last administration. According to new preliminary data submitted to the FBI, in the first half of this year, the homicide rate continued to fall at record speed, declining by 22.7%, while the violent crime rate fell by 10.3% to its lowest level since 1969. These record decreases follow the historic declines in crime in 2023, including the largest-ever decrease in the homicide rate. Communities across our country are safer now than when I took office.
Under the previous administration, we saw the biggest increase in murder rates on record. Vice President Harris and I moved swiftly to turn it around. We passed the American Rescue Plan – despite every Republican in Congress voting against it – which has helped deliver over $15 billion in public safety funding that enabled over 1,000 state, city, and county governments to avoid cuts to police budgets, invest in community violence interventions, and keep communities safe. And we have taken more action to get illegal guns off of our streets and out of dangerous hands than any Administration, including by signing into law the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years which has expanded background checks and cracked down on gun traffickers. Last year, I established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris, to accelerate this work.
Even among these historic declines, we can and must do more. That’s why, just this past week, Vice President Harris and I announced additional actions to combat machinegun conversion devices, improve school-based active shooter drills, and take other steps to reduce gun crime and save lives. I’ll continue to urge Congress pass my plan to fund 100,000 additional police officers, invest in community violence intervention programs, and make commonsense gun safety reforms, including banning assault weapons.
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