- Press Release
March For Our Lives Statement on End of President Biden’s Campaign Bid
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New York, NY — “President Biden has been the strongest ally of the gun violence prevention movement to hold the Presidency in our entire lifetimes. He’s been a forceful champion, and a receptive ear, and with the backing of youth activists and countless Americans who refuse to live in fear of gun violence, has accomplished more in the last four years on this issue than the twenty that preceded it. Long after President Biden’s term, we are certain that President Biden will be remembered as the most consequential President to this point in fighting the scourge of gun violence. The President himself has listed it as one of his greatest accomplishments. We may not have always seen eye to eye, but we are deeply grateful for his many, many years of service to the nation and to building the future that we deserve, and we look forward to working alongside him through the close of his term—and beyond.”
Since taking office, alongside young people and activists, President Biden has led the way in breaking the decades-long logjam in gun safety legislation and taken bold action, including:
- Working with Congress to pass the first federal gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and used the power of the Presidency to accelerate implementation, resulting in hundreds of thousands of additional background checks, and thousands of stopped sales that could have resulted in death or injuries.
- Heeding youth activist calls dating back to 2019, President Biden appointed the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate and lead efforts across the federal government, state leaders, and agencies state leaders and apply a whole-of-government approach to gun violence prevention.
- Signing the American Rescue Plan, which allowed a gusher of funding to flow for the first time ever in a significant way to local governments and nonprofits that address the root causes of gun violence. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated from the ARP to lifesaving gun violence prevention programs, with guidance from the Biden administration.
- Passing more executive orders than any other President to directly address the gun violence epidemic, including orders to stop the proliferation of ghost guns, appointed the first ATF Director in nearly a decade.
As we look to tomorrow, the challenge ahead remains the same. The hounds of authoritarianism are at the doorstep in Trump’s campaign and March For Our Lives is cleareyed about our task. Trump’s campaign of lies, division, and hatred lays bare the fact that he is hellbent on dismantling our fundamental rights, including the right to not be shot. Young people reject this future. Our work to make this threat clear to young people continues unimpeded, and we look forward to a new nominee who will offer a strong contrast to the Republican Party’s agenda and offer a vision and a path to a future free of gun violence.
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