U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Thursday to combat increasing threats from firearms and improve school-based active shooter drills, while setting tight deadlines for further action, the White House said.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the order at the White House, their first gun-related event together since Biden named Harris to oversee an office on gun violence prevention created one year ago, a White House official said.
The event will be attended by gun violence survivors, activists and long-time allies of Biden, who has worked to reduce gun violence for over three decades, the official said.
The new order is part of a broader push launched by Biden and Harris – both of whom are gun owners – to reduce gun violence since taking office in 2021.
The U.S. surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis in June, calling for more research funding, better mental health access and other steps such as secure storage.
Harris, who became the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 5 election after Biden dropped out in July, has often spoken about the need to reduce gun violence during her campaign rallies.
