Vice Presidential Pool Reports of December 13, 2023

VP Pool Report 1

Good morning from the EEOB, where the Vice President gave remarks a group of nearly 100 state legislators from 39 states on gun violence. Her remarks come following the Biden Administration's establishment of the first-ever WH Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which the Vice President is overseeing.

The remarks are being delivered in a large conference room space in the EEOB. The room has two large screens on the stage that read "White House State Legislative Convening on Gun Violence Prevention." There are over 100 chairs set around the room facing the screens. There's also a group of people standing along the back wall of the room.

Waiting for the VP to enter the room - until then, some info below on background about today's event. More to come…

On Background From a White House Official:

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris will continue her leadership on gun violence prevention by delivering remarks at a convening of nearly 100 state legislators from 39 states. During this State Legislative Convening on Gun Violence Prevention, the Vice President will launch the Biden-Harris Administration's Safer States Initiative to provide states with additional tools and support to reduce gun violence and save lives in communities across the country. This convening is taking place at the White House where the Administration is engaging with and working alongside state legislators to advance commonsense gun safety initiatives. The Vice President's 11:40 a.m. ET remarks will be pooled.

Vice President Harris continues to lead on addressing the epidemic of gun violence while overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Last year, she fought alongside President Biden to achieve passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first significant piece of federal gun safety legislation in three decades. In March, President Biden also signed an additional Executive Order to expand background checks, increase the effective use of red flag laws, and support survivors of gun violence. In May, the administration announced more than a dozen additional actions to reduce gun violence.

The Vice President also continues to call on Congress to renew the assault weapons ban, pass red flag legislation, and require background checks for all gun sales at a time when guns are the leading cause of death for children in America and there have been more than 630 mass shootings this year.

Since being sworn in, Vice President Harris has grieved with families directly impacted by gun violence across the nation – from Monterey Park, CA and Highland Park, IL, to Buffalo, NY and Nashville, TN. She has also continued to partner with gun safety advocates throughout the nation:

• Last week, she met with Gabby Giffords and gun safety advocate Trevon Bosley to discuss ongoing work to end gun violence.

• In September, she welcomed Grammy-nominated artist Quavo from the hip hop group Migos to the White House for a conversation about advancing commonsense gun safety policies.

• In August, she headlined Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund's annual Gun Sense University conference.

• In June, she traveled to Springfield, VA to mark Gun Violence Awareness Day and deliver remarks calling on young people to continue leading efforts to end gun violence – a message she brought to every campus on her nationwide "Fight for Our Freedoms" college tour that took place this fall with more than 15,000 students in attendance.

Additional background about the Vice President's record on combatting gun violence:

• As District Attorney, Vice President Harris prosecuted homicide cases and saw first-hand the devastation of gun violence. She worked with victims' families like Mattie Scott, whose youngest son George was fatally shot age 24 while attending a graduation party, to strengthen local gun safety laws.

• As Attorney General of California, Vice President Harris worked to get illegal firearms off the street and to prosecute gun trafficking.

• As Senator, Vice President Harris co-sponsored several pieces of gun safety legislation, including an assault weapons ban.

Additional background about the Biden-Harris administration's actions to reduce gun violence:

• In September, President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is being overseen by Vice President Harris.

• In March 2023, the President signed an Executive Order which improved regulation of gun dealers, including clarifying the definition of who is engaged in the business of dealing in firearms in order to increase compliance with the federal background check requirement for firearm sales; promoting extreme risk protection orders; and developing policies designed to ensure the prompt entry of ballistics data recovered in criminal investigations into the national database.

• In June 2022, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which enhances background checks for people under 21 by requiring an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, invests in mental health services, increases grant funding for implementation of state red flag laws (i.e., extreme risk protection orders), and protects domestic violence victims by closing the "boyfriend loophole."

• The President has also signed more than two dozen executive actions to provide crucial funding and other authorities to help keep guns out of dangerous hands.

VP Pool Report 2

The Vice President's entered the room at 11:39am. The crowd of state lawmakers held up their phones to take photos and videos of the VP as she entered.

"Thank you for not only being here but for choosing to serve and choosing to have an extraordinary amount of courage."

She also mentioned conversations she had on her college tour earlier this year with students about gun violence.

"At each location, I would ask them please raise your hand if at any point from kindergarten to 12th grade had to endure an active shooter, raise your hand. The hair on the back of your head would have gone up."

She also recalled a conversation with a student who was in elementary school, who said they didn't like going to 5th period because there was no closet in the classroom in which they could hide.

"Our young people …they're sitting in a classroom where they should they should be full of wonder about all the beauty and excitement about the world and their future. And some part of their brain is sitting there fear that there might be a shooter break into the classroom."

"I do believe that when that generation starts voting in their numbers, we're going to see an abrupt change."

VP admitted there are some real challenges to addressing gun violence. "We're up against some who would suggest a false choice. That is that you are either favoring the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone's guns away."

"I'll speak for myself: I am absolutely Second Amendment. And I'm also in favor of an assault weapons ban."

VP exited the room to a standing ovation at 11:52am after about 10 minutes of remarks.

An otter of her remarks: https://otter.ai/u/gtUdI51B1dIsAn1HQ7-57mnHJRY

That's all from me!