Psaki: ‘We Believe that a Central Driver of Violence Is Gun Violence and Use of Guns’

EXCERPT:

PSAKI: "Well, let me give you a sense to the degree I can because we are still finalizing the specifics. There has been one, an increase in violent crime over the last 18 months. It's not just over the last few months and actually if you look statistically back, it is more over the last five years or so. So, there is an initial set of actions. The president has announced to-date to address gun violence back in April, strengthening regulations on ghost guns, stabilizing braces that make firearms more lethal, investing money in community violence intervention programs, investment that he think cans be quite effective. He's talked about for decades and I think you'll hear him talk about tomorrow supporting additional funding for community policing through the budget request and helping state and local governments keep cop on the beat. So, yes, we believe a central driver of violence is gun violence and is the use of guns. We are seeing that statistically in a lot of areas but he also believes that we need to insure that state and local governments keep cops on the beat, we are supporting community policing, and that's a key part of it, as well."