APA-backed legislation informs first-ever federal office dedicated to reducing gun violence

The office will help distribute new funding for mental health services within communities and schools

Date created: October 2, 2023 3 min read

The White House recently unveiled the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention amid grim statistics showing the US has seen more than 500 mass shootings in 2023opens in new window.

The office, created through an executive order, will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris and play a key role in implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938opens in new window), a 2022 law considered the most sweeping gun violence prevention measure in 30 years. A key provision of the law celebrated by mental health professionals includes expansion and funding of mental health services within communities and schools. The law also includes enhancing federal background checks, funding extreme risk protection order laws, and tightening firearm bans for domestic abusers.

President Joe Biden shakes the hand of APA CEO Dr. Arthur Evans, Jr. “APA and psychology are working on a number of fronts to help move the gun violence debate beyond political arguments and into the realm of public health and safety,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “The White House’s new Office of Gun Violence Prevention is an important step in the effort to reduce gun violence in America. As psychologists, we are prepared to rise to this challenge using our best science, data, and practice, and to collaborate with others to make all of our efforts even more effective.”

Evans was a special invited guest at the announcement of the new office, which took place in the White House’s Rose Garden, and he was joined by lawmakers and families of victims of gun violence. In a private conversation following the announcement, President Biden thanked Evans for APA’s important work on the issue.

In addition to helping coordinate efforts across executive branch agencies to implement the Safer Communities Act, the office will facilitate support for survivors, families, and communities affected by gun violence, and identify new executive actions to reduce gun violence.

“This epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma that Americans experience every day,” Harris said in a statementopens in new window. “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, nor a life to spare.”

APA’s efforts toward gun violence prevention

APA has long advocated for a public health approach to gun violence prevention, supporting evidence-based programs and policies that could reduce the occurrence and impact of firearm-related violence in the United States. Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy , a report developed by an APA panel of experts, has provided information for policymakers and the public regarding the science on firearm violence and has contributed to national efforts to prevent firearm-related death and injury. The report reviews research on development, gender, and culture as antecedents to gun violence and what works to prevent gun violence at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. In addition, APA’s Resolution on Firearm Violence Research and Prevention continues to encourage the scientific study of firearm violence and its prevention, and urges psychologists to respond to the problem of firearm violence as scientists, practitioners, and educators.

Last year, APA members sent nearly 3,000 messages to members of Congress advocating for the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, said APA Chief Advocacy Officer Katherine McGuire.

“To get the bipartisan act across the finish line, we joined forces with long-term partners, including former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’s organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, Brady Campaign, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Sandy Hook Promise, to name a few,” McGuire said. “Our collective goal was to ensure that Congress addresses gun violence as a public health issue and does not stigmatize mental illness.”

The move by President Biden to create a federal office on gun violence prevention comes months after the idea was proposed by U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) in the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Actopens in new window, legislation they jointly introduced in March. APA Services endorsed the legislation and has been very active in supporting this important work.