Getting Americans vaccinated isn't the only priority for the Biden administration right now. The president vows to take action to tackle gun violence across the country.


What You Need To Know

  • President Biden unveiled his plan to curb gun violence on Thursday
  • Some believe his plan won't change anything
  • Others want handguns off the streets of Buffalo

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"Gun violence in this country is an epidemic," President Joe Biden said.

The president spoke from the White House Rose Garden Thursday to announce steps his administration vows to take to confront what he calls a public health crisis.

"Enough, enough, enough," the president said.

Biden unveiled a half dozen executive orders he hopes addresses gun violence. Some of the actions include expanding the Department of Justice's ability to stop the proliferation of so-called ghost guns and to classify stabilizing braces for pistols as subject to the National Firearms Act.

"The issue with 80 percent lowers and pistol braces, things like that is the raw materials, polymer and various types of metal alloys and the instructions for how to machine those things, those are all already out there so there's always going to be machinists who still produce those things whether or not they can be legally sold. So in effect what the Biden administration is hoping to do here is criminalize materials and knowledge, and that's impossible to do,” Steve Felano, the founder of 2ANYS, said.

The Buffalo Police Department tells Spectrum News shootings in the city are up 100% when compared to this time last year.

Felano considers last year's lockdown orders and the war on drugs as major players behind this.

"Progressive legislators more specifically have created this quote unquote gun violence and now they're coming to you with a government solution for a problem that is already created by the government. Progressives can end the failed war on drugs," he said.

Meanwhile, Pastor James Giles of the Buffalo Peacemakers thinks the city is experiencing gang violence along with spontaneous acts of violence. He wants handguns off city streets.

"Primarily when you hear politicians particularly at the federal level talk about gang violence, they're talking about this national mass murder that's taking place, and that's not very helpful for urban communities because they're primarily dying from handguns, illegal handguns. We got to begin to go to the source of it. One of the things Biden needs to do is start to hold some of these manufacturers and these distributing people, holding them accountable," Pastor Giles said. 

Pastor Giles adds that aid for organizations on the ground trying to tackle these issues head-on wouldn't be a bad thing either. 

"We got to get resources to community agencies such as myself that are on the front lines trying to develop strategies and plans and alternative lifestyle measures for some of these individuals that are involved in that type of lifestyle to bring them up out of that,” he said.