Without any formal announcement, President Donald Trump apparently has shuttered the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. That office, which opened in September 2023 under President Biden, managed a first-ever coordinated federal response to mass shootings and community violence. While gun violence in the U.S. surged during Trump’s first term, the creation of the White House OGVP led a cross-agency public health approach to preventing gun violence, contributing to a significant drop in the proliferation of unserialized and untraceable ghost guns, the largest-ever decrease in the homicide rate, and historic funding for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs.
Gun violence prevention groups condemned the move. “The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention wasn’t about politics – it was about strengthening the government’s ability to protect Americans (more than 300 of whom are shot every single day) from guns. By shuttering it, Trump is putting the interests of the gun lobby above our kids, our communities, and our country,” said Brady President Kris Brown.
Meanwhile, over at The Trace, some ex-OGVP staffers sounded a more optimistic note, saying the office’s progress will be difficult to undo and may set an example for how states, local governments, and future presidential administrations can treat gun violence as a priority going forward.
