President Joe Biden unveiled executive actions on Thursday intended to reduce gun violence.
The actions come as President Biden seeks to cement his legacy of addressing gun violence following the passage of the Safer Community Act, the most significant gun control legislation passed in the last 30 years.
The new executive actions also allow the White House to highlight Vice President Kamala Harris' role in leading the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
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The new executive actions arrive during an election season on an issue that galvanizes voters. Overall, a majority of Americans favor more restrictive gun laws as gun violence continues to plague the country.
The new executive actions have two primary aims. One is to reduce the trauma and maximize the effectiveness of school shooting drills. The other is to address machine gun conversion devices.
"These machine gun conversion devices, which you can install on an ordinary semi-automatic firearm, turn it into a fully automatic firearm. These conversion devices are already illegal under federal law, but because they are so small and cheap and easy to produce, law enforcement all across the country have told us here at the White House they've said 'we are still finding these at crime scenes all across our cities," said Stef Feldman director of the Office of National Gun Violence. "'Please help us do more.'"
The new actions follow Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declaring gun violence a public health crisis in June.
