Topline
President Joe Biden said Thursday that defunding the police is not the solution to rising gun violence, as he met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams following the fatal shooting of two police officers last month and attempted to distance himself from the anti-police rhetoric, backed by some Democrats, that arose out of the 2020 George Floyd protests.
Key Facts
Speaking at the New York police headquarters on Thursday, Biden called for more funding to help improve community policing and urged Congress to pass universal background checks.
Biden told Adams, a former police officer, they were in agreement that “the answer is not to abandon our streets. That’s not the answer, the answer is to come together.”
Biden’s appearance, also attended by Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, follows the high profile deaths of two officers shot in the line of duty in New York whose funerals drew thousands of officers and national attention.
Earlier Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president is considering issuing an executive order on police reform since Congress has yet to pass any police reform legislation, according to The Guardian.
Biden’s meeting with Adams at the NYPD’s headquarters also suggests Democrats are sending a message that they will not be soft on public safety ahead of November’s midterms, Reuters reported.
Crucial Quote
“The answer is not to defund the police,” Biden said, “it’s to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors and the community needs you, know the community.”
Tangent
The Biden Administration announced Thursday morning initiatives to address gun violence, including plans to crack down on illegal ghost guns—made at home and are difficult to track because they do not have serial numbers—by prioritizing bringing federal charges to people who use them.
Key Background
On the campaign trail in 2020, Biden opposed cutting police funding, and supported an overhaul of the law enforcement in the face of some progressives, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who pushed to “defund the police.” Republicans have argued rising crime in major U.S. cities are tied to Democrats’ backing of redirecting police funding to other areas, such as social programs. Cities across the country have walked back their decision to cut police funding, and the New York Times reported some cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, allocated more funding for policing last year than before due to rising crime. There were 20,274 gun violence deaths last year compared with 19,400 in 2020 and 15,474 in 2019, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Further Reading
Biden turns his focus to gun violence as Democrats try to shed 'defund the police' label (CNN)
U.S. Gun Sales Plummeted Last Month From Record-Breaking Pandemic Levels (Forbes)
