Readout Following Espaillat Meeting with President Biden and NYC Mayor Adams to Discuss Actions to Reduce Gun Crime and Strengthen Federal and Local Efforts for Community Intervention

Statement

Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) met with President Biden and New York City Mayor Adams to discuss strategies to address gun violence and the Administration's comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime, which includes historic levels of federal funding for cities and states to increase public safety measures and invest in community violence prevention and intervention programs, as well as federal law enforcement efforts against illegal gun traffickers and "ghost guns" provisions from Rep. Espaillat legislation introduced this Congress.

"Gun violence is a public health crisis, an epidemic that we must end. Combatting gun violence in my congressional district is a top priority and I applaud Mayor Adams's leadership, commitment, and focus on stopping gun violence through his transformative plan to deliver the public safety our city needs at this time. We are equally grateful to President Biden for today's discussion to strengthen federal, state and local collaboration on efforts to keep our communities safe," said Rep. Espaillat. "This Congress, I introduced legislation to address gun violence in communities around the nation--H.R. 1454-- the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act would close the "ghost guns" loophole which allows purchasers to avoid federal background checks by buying unassembled firearms online. Additionally, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am leading a request to my fellow appropriators to ensure $50 Million dollars to create a National Youth Employment Program, to provide funding for summer youth employment opportunities, an initiative that would complement Mayor Adams' effort to create an unprecedented summer youth employment program to address the root causes of violence, poverty and crime."

Earlier today, the U.S. Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice announced a set of new actions to stem the flow of firearms used to commit violence and support local law enforcement partners in efforts to combat gun crime. New York City's Gun Violence Strategic Partnership was among the items discussed during today's meeting and is a model of the strategies the Justice Department will help expand around the nation. Among other DOJ priorities include:

* Cracking down on the "Iron Pipeline," the illegal flow of guns sold in the south, transported up the East Coast, and found at crime scenes in cities from Baltimore to New York City, and other firearms trafficking by adding personnel and federal resources to strengthen the Justice Department's multijurisdictional task forces that target interstate firearms trafficking. Rep. Espaillat is supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer's call for an additional $1.5 billion for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of the next federal budget to tackle gun trafficking through the pipeline. Additionally, this effort would help support Mayor Adams' Task Force on Illegal Guns.

* Launch a National Ghost Gun Enforcement Initiative, which will train a national cadre of prosecutors and disseminate investigation and prosecution tools to help bring cases against those who use ghost guns to commit crimes. Rep. Espaillat's bill, the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act, is part of a critical legislative gun violence prevention package that supports this effort and will ensure comprehensive change that would close loopholes, expand background checks, and improve the overall safety of our communities by making it more difficult for these weapons to fall into the wrong hands.

* Pursue unlawful gun sellers that put firearms in the wrong hands by taking steps such as prioritizing federal prosecutions of those who criminally sell or transfer firearms that are used in violent crimes, including unlicensed dealers who sell guns to criminals without the required background checks.

Rep. Espaillat supports President Biden's proposed $5 billion in funding for the Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to invest in community violence interventions (CVI) -- evidence-based programs that are shown to help reduce violent crime. The Biden Administration made certain American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding -- $350 billion in state and local funding, and $122 billion in K-12 funding -- available as unprecedented resources for CVI. Cities across the country, including New York, have responded to this call by committing and deploying ARP funds for CVI.

"I commend President Biden for his commitment to serve as a strong partner for communities on the frontlines of the fight against crime and for recognizing the critical role federal law enforcement plays in supporting cities like ours in efforts to stop the interstate flow of guns used in crimes, like the gun that was used in the tragic recent fatal shooting of NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora. Today's meeting strengthened federal and state collaboration to create strategies that will improve the safety of our neighborhoods and families in New York's 13th congressional district and in communities around the nation," Espaillat concluded.

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