Biden speaks about gun violence as US crime surges

White House Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice touted the administration’s “mutually reinforcing” approach to curtailing gun violence, highlighting a “zero tolerance for rogue gun dealers who willfully violate law and regulations selling guns,” a group of “multi-jurisdictional federal task forces to go after those networks of gun dealers that run guns in corridors into our major cities,” and a group of strike forces deployed to major cities.

Rice acknowledged a concerning increase in violent crime across the country, calling it “a trend that we're deeply concerned about,” and admitting “that, coinciding with the pandemic, there's been a spike in gun violence and violent crime.”

“An important part of this is, of course, legislation that's pending right now before the Senate to ensure that we close the loopholes in background checks, that we have an assault weapons ban and many other things that are common-sense gun safety measures that languished for years and are so urgent,” Rice said.

For Biden, Rice argued, the response “is not to defund the police.”

“He's been very explicit in opposing that — he wants to invest in our communities and in safety, that includes investing in public safety, and giving police and police forces the resources they need, but it's much broader than that, because you can't just deal with this problem through law enforcement. You need to deal with its root causes,” Rice said.

Gun control is not the only issue that has failed to advance in the Senate. Republican Sen. Tim Scott told reporters last month it's "June or bust" when it comes to the bipartisan effort to craft a legislative overhaul of policing.

That leaves just a small window for Scott and the other two lead negotiators — Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California — to strike a deal that will satisfy both parties.

Negotiations to this point have been defined by a cycle of promising momentum before long holdups as the group works to combine the Democrats' House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act with the Senate Republicans' JUSTICE Act.

Booker said earlier this month there's "a lot of work to be done" but maintained that the parties can still reach an agreement by the end of the month.

One of the thorniest issues has been "qualified immunity," a controversial federal doctrine that protects officers accused of violating the Constitution while on duty.

Established by the Supreme Court in 1967, qualified immunity effectively protects state and local officials, including police officers, from personal liability unless they are determined to have violated what the court defines as an individual's "clearly established statutory or constitutional rights." The doctrine can be used only in civil cases, not criminal, and allows victims to sue officials for damages only under those circumstances.

In April, Scott floated a compromise that would shift the burden of responsibility from individual police officers to their employers: police departments. He said at the time the idea of allowing police departments to be taken to court but not individual officers "seems to be resonating" in his talks with both Democrats and Republicans.

"I assume my conference understands where I am, and I'm hopeful and optimistic" about their support, Scott said of the other 49 Senate Republicans.

But as recently as this month, Scott described stark differences over qualified immunity amongst the negotiators.

While Biden has said he supports the George Floyd act, some leaders say if Congress won't act, they want to see the White House reviving Obama-era panels to review policing practices and investigating police agencies in more cities.

Other civil rights activists, however, say the nation needs police reform legislation more than anything and they are hopeful that Congress will pass it and Biden will sign it.

President Biden once again called on Congress today to act on gun control when he lays out his comprehensive strategy on violent crime prevention during White House remarks.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed two bills on March 11 that would expand background checks on all commercial gun sales, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is yet to bring the legislation on the Senate floor.

While strong proposals like a ban on assault-style weapons or high capacity magazines are not currently seriously being discussed at the federal level, there are areas of agreement — though that may not be enough to get anything passed.

Here are key things to know about what is being considered in Congress:

Background checks: The first of the two recently passed bills, H.R. 8, expands background checks for all firearm sales or transfers in the country including between private parties, at gun shows or over the internet. Currently, background checks are not required for gun sales and transfers by unlicensed and private sellers.

This has bipartisan support. The final vote on the background check bill was 227-203 in the House. Eight Republicans supported the legislation and one Democrat voted against it.

But it needs a supermajority in the Senate. It's clear the legislation does not have the support it needs (at least not right now) to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Closing loopholes: A bill backed by Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina had less support than expanding background checks. It passed the House 218 - 210, without any Republican support.

It would close what's known as the "Charleston Loophole," which allows some licensed gun sales to go through before a required background check is done. Specifically, it increases the amount of time, from 3 business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person

Using that loophole, Dylann Roof was able to legally purchase a firearm to kill nine people at a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.

It needs a supermajority in the Senate. This legislation also does not have the support it needs (at least not right now) to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

We don't know which will come first: Either Democrats must all agree to end the filibuster or Republicans must begin to support gun control measures in larger numbers. Until then, there will be no new federal gun laws.

Read more here.

President Biden said protecting Americans from violence is a bipartisan issue.

Biden added: "That means Congress will pass sensible gun violence initiatives," he said. "Background checks. Ban on assault weapons. Liability for gun manufacturers. The Violence Against Women Act."

President Biden this afternoon announced  a “major crackdown” on gun dealers who violate existing law saying his administration would implement a "zero tolerance" policy to ensure weapons dealers "can't sell death and mayhem on our streets.”

“We are announcing a major crackdown to the stem of flow of guns used to commit violent crimes,” he said in a speech addressing a rise in violent crime across the nation. "It is zero tolerance for those who willfully violate key existing laws and regulations."

"If you willfully sell a gun to someone who is prohibited from possessing it, if you willfully fail to run a background check, if you willfully falsify a record, if you willfully fail to cooperate with the tracing requests or inspections, my message to you is this. 'We'll find you and we'll seek your license to sell guns.'"

Biden's remarks come as major American cities saw a 33% increase in homicides last year as a pandemic swept across the country, millions of people joined protests against racial injustice and police brutality, and the economy collapsed under the weight of the pandemic — a crime surge that continued into the first quarter of this year.

Watch the moment:

President Biden said he believes the easing of pandemic restrictions over the summer may mean the typical summer spike in crime "may even be more pronounced than it usually would be."

"For folks at home, here's what you need to know. I've been at this a long time. And there are things we know that work to reduce gun violence and violent crime and things that we don't know about. But things we know about, background checks for purchasing a firearm are important. Ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. No one needs to have a weapon that can fire over 30, 40, 50, even up to a hundred rounds unless you think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests or something. Community policing and programs to keep neighborhoods safe and keep folks out of trouble. These efforts work, they save lives," Biden added.

Watch the moment:

President Biden is delivering remarks from the White House and will announce a comprehensive strategy on violent crime prevention.

Biden is also set to sign executive actions with a particular focus on tamping down gun crimes, according to officials, and is expected to address recent spikes in shootings, armed robberies and vicious assaults.

After years of decreasing crime statistics, the homicide rate surged in major US cities in 2020 and that trend appears poised to continue this year. Last weekend, there were 10 mass shootings across nine states that killed seven people and injured at least 45 others, according to data compiled by CNN and Gunviolencearchive.org.

According to the White House, Biden's "Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety" will focus on five main pillars:

Read more about Biden's strategy here.

Major American cities saw a 33% increase in homicides last year as a pandemic swept across the country, millions of people joined protests against racial injustice and police brutality, and the economy collapsed under the weight of the pandemic — a crime surge that continued into the first quarter of this year.

Sixty-three of the 66 largest police jurisdictions saw increases in at least one category of violent crimes in 2020, which include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, according to a report produced by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Raleigh, North Carolina, did not report increases in any of the violent crime categories.

Remember: It's nearly impossible to attribute any year-to-year change in violent crime statistics to any single factor, and homicides and shootings are an intensely local phenomenon that can spike for dozens of reasons. But the increase in homicide rates across the country is both historic and far-reaching, as were the pandemic and social movements that touched every part of society last year.

Through the first three months of 2021, a number of major cities have indicated they are still experiencing high rates of violent crime, according to Laura Cooper, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. "Some cities are set to outpace last year's numbers," she said.

In Chicago, homicides were up 33% in the first three months of the year compared to 2020, while shootings were up nearly 40% for the same period year-over-year. In New York City, the NYPD data shows murders jumped by nearly 14% through March 28.

In Los Angeles, homicides have increased nearly 36% from 67 to 91 through March 30, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes told CNN. Those three cities — the nation's largest — all saw significant increases last year over 2019.

Read more here.

Ahead of President Biden's speech on his gun crime prevention and public safety strategy, FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers that the agency is concerned about the rise of violent crime across the country and hopes their partnerships with other law enforcement can combat the rates.

Wray said in a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that FBI agents have been deployed to partner with various multi-agency teams like the Safe Streets Task Force, Violent Crime Task Forces that have led to "6,500 violent crime arrests, amidst the worst of the pandemic." 

The Justice Department made two separate announcements over the last few weeks regarding their efforts to combat violent crime and illegal gun trafficking. Both nationwide efforts include the FBI's collaborations with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Wray said the agency has been busier than ever before and will need a multi-million dollar increase in their annual budget to "carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution."

Biden is expected to address recent spikes in shootings, armed robberies and vicious assaults when he announces the details of the crime prevention strategy Wednesday afternoon during a speech at the White House.

After years of decreasing crime statistics, the homicide rate surged in major cities in 2020 and that trend appears poised to continue this year. Last weekend, there were 10 mass shootings across nine states that killed seven people and injured at least 45 others, according to data compiled by CNN and Gunviolencearchive.org.