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President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at helping schools conduct active shooter drills in a way that minimizes trauma for students while remaining effective. The order also targets restricting new technologies that make firearms easier to use and access.
Biden has vowed to prioritize significant issues throughout his term, with curbing gun violence remaining a top focus. At 81, the president frequently mentions the toll mass shootings have taken, sharing how he has consoled numerous victims and visited too many crime scenes. He was key in passing gun safety legislation and has pushed for banning assault weapons, tightening gun restrictions, and assisting communities affected by violence. His administration also created the first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, led by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Both Biden and Harris are scheduled to address gun violence during an afternoon event in the Rose Garden.
The executive order directs federal agencies to study the potential trauma caused by active shooter drills and to help schools design drills that “maximize their effectiveness and limit any collateral harms they might cause,” according to Stefanie Feldman, director of Biden’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Additionally, the order forms a task force to examine the dangers posed by machine-gun-conversion devices, which can turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons, as well as the increasing presence of 3D-printed guns. These guns, made using internet codes, are simple to produce, lack serial numbers, and are difficult for law enforcement to track. The task force is expected to deliver its findings within 90 days, just before Biden’s term concludes.
Stricter gun control is widely supported by Americans, regardless of their state’s current regulations, likely driven by the belief that fewer firearms would result in fewer mass shootings.
Gun violence continues to devastate the nation. On Saturday, multiple shooters opened fire at a busy nightlife district in Birmingham, Alabama, in what police called a targeted “hit,” leaving four dead and 17 others injured.
As of Wednesday, the U.S. has already experienced at least 31 mass killings in 2024, claiming 135 lives, according to a database managed by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University.
