“The answer is not to defund the police,” Biden said. “It is to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors and know the community.”
Biden ticked through how 316 people are shot every day and 106 killed, including 26 children who died in gun violence so far this year. In New York last month, an 11-month-old girl was wounded by a stray bullet and a teenage fast-food cashier was shot to death. Thirty-two officers have been shot in the line of duty so far this year nationwide, seven of them killed.
Most of the talk Thursday was centered on better policing. Efforts to take stronger legislative action in recent years have failed, even after 20 children and six adults were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The president was joined by New York lawmakers, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain. Once an outspoken critic of his own department and someone who was beaten by police as a teenager, Adams portrayed himself during his campaign as someone who could bridge the divide between the New York Police Department and activists pushing for major change.
Guns are at the center of the debate as the nation grapples with homicides that spiked nationally in 2020, the final year of the Trump administration. Even before the spike, 75% of all homicides in the U.S. were due to firearm injuries and guns were responsible for 91% of youth homicides, according to a January report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on gun violence and suicides over 2018-19.
The Justice Department is working to stop the movement of guns north along the “iron pipeline” on the Interstate 95 corridor from Southern states with lax gun laws. Federal prosecutors will prioritize cases of those who sell or transfer guns used in violent crime and, if Biden’s budget is enacted, get specific agents dedicated to the effort.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden to deploy more US troops to Europe in response to rising Russia-Ukraine tensions | LIVEBREAKING; President Joe Biden is sending troops to Poland, Germany and Romania amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine's borders.
Read more »
Biden orders US troop deployments to reassure NATO allies amid Russia standoffAsked why U.S. has now decided to deploy military forces to Europe amid Russian aggression, Pentagon spokesperson says Russian leader Vladimir Putin “continues to add forces—combined arms, offensive capabilities even over just the last 24 hours.”
Read more »
Biden plans 'several' stops on Asia trip, region to remain focus -U.S. officialJoe Biden plans several stops during a visit to Asia this spring, which will be his first to the region as president and include a summit with three key regional allies in Japan, a senior administration official told Reuters.
Read more »
Biden to deploy more US troops to Europe in response to rising Russia-Ukraine tensionsPresident Joe Biden is sending troops to Poland, Germany and Romania amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine's borders.
Read more »
US military carries out successful raid in Syria, killing top Islamic State leader, Biden saysThe Pentagon confirmed special operations forces carried out a successful counterterrorism mission in Syria but provided few details.
Read more »
Biden: US raid in Syria killed top Islamic State leaderATMEH, Syria (AP) — A U.S. special forces raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday killed the top leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, President Joe Biden said. “Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS,” Biden said in a statement.
Read more »