Biden Cautions Citizens of Summer Crime Spike

On June 23, President Joe Biden announced an elaborate strategy on the prevention of violent crimes — laying emphasis on gun crimes. The announcement comes in light of the surge of violent crime across the country, which has now become a concern for the White House. 

President Biden highlighted the issue in a speech after he met with state and local leaders to address the increase in crime. Biden stated that historically, crime rises during the summer. But he added that given that the country is opening back again after the emergence of the pandemic, the traditional crime spike may be “more pronounced than it usually would be.”

Biden delivered the speech with the hope of suppressing Republican attack. GOP members are keen to pursue a “law and order” campaign in the midterm elections next year. 

While making his remarks, Biden was assertive about putting a ban on assault weapons in place; it’s a move that would have to be passed by Congress. “I’ve been at this a long time, and there are things we know that work to reduce gun violence and violent crime, and things that we don’t know about,” Biden stated. 

He added that background checks for purchasing a firearm are imperative and hoped that Congress would approve the ban. “A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines — no one needs to have a weapon that can fire over 30, 40, 50, even up to 100 rounds, unless you think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests or something. Community policing and programs that keep neighborhoods safe and keep folks out of trouble — these efforts work, they save lives, but over time, these policies were gutted, are woefully underfunded,” he said. 

Biden’s “Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety” will focus on five key areas: digging into the flow of firearms used for violent purposes, aiding local law enforcement with federal tools and resources, investing in community violence interventions that are based on evidence, expanding employment opportunities and support services, and helping formerly imprisoned persons to re-enter society successfully.