Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Biden-Harris Administration for Launching White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention; Herald Commitment to Gun Safety as Key Administration Priority

Rob Wilcox, Everytown for Gun Safety’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs and Greg Jackson, Executive Director of the Community Justice Action Fund, Announced as Deputy Directors of Newly Formed White House Office 

WASHINGTON — Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements after today’s announcement that the Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention that will be based in the White House and advance the Administration’s ambitious gun violence prevention agenda. The new office will be led by Stefanie Feldman, a longtime policy advisor to President Biden on gun violence prevention, alongside Rob Wilcox, Everytown’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs and Greg Jackson, Executive Director of the Community Justice Action Fund. Both Rob and Greg will now join the Administration as Special Assistants to the President and Deputy Directors of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

“The White House is the People’s House, so it’s only fitting that the Biden-Harris Administration is launching a new office focused on one of the American people’s top concerns: keeping their families safe from gun violence,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The political calculus around gun safety has undergone a dramatic shift, and the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is further evidence that this issue will continue to drive our political discourse. Rob Wilcox, who has been leading Everytown’s federal work and played a key role in passing the first major gun safety bill to pass Congress in decades, is the perfect person to help lead this new office.” 

“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration is doubling down on being the strongest gun safety administration in our history and today’s announcement is only further proof that they’re using every tool at their disposal to save lives,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “I’m proud to not only call Rob and Greg friends, but colleagues in the gun safety movement, and there are no better champions for this work than these two esteemed leaders. As we head into 2024, our grassroots volunteers are ready to put it all on the line to reelect the Biden-Harris Administration so they can continue their life-saving work.”

Rob Wilcox is a nationally recognized expert on gun safety policy and was a key advisor on the drafting of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. He was a staff member at Everytown for Gun Safety for nearly eight years, most recently serving as the Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs. His tenure at Everytown has included advising policymakers at all levels of government, leading the organization’s federal advocacy efforts, and testifying before Congress. Rob is a survivor of gun violence. His work honors his cousin Laura, who was shot and killed at nineteen, and is inspired by the tireless advocacy efforts of his Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nick.

Greg Jackson has been a gun violence prevention leader for more than ten years. A survivor of gun violence, Greg has led Community Justice Action Fund, a national, survivor-led gun violence prevention organization focused exclusively on the impact to Black and brown communities. Greg has testified before Congress and has been regularly appeared in an array of media outlets

This continues to be the strongest gun safety administration in history. In August, the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) turned President Biden’s clear, strong executive action on background checks into action, issuing a life-saving new proposed rule that will expand background checks to individuals who engage in commercial sales of firearms. For years, gun sellers have exploited a loophole in the law to avoid conducting background checks on guns sold through advertisements, including online ads, and at gun shows — and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gave the Biden-Harris Administration the tools to help close the deadly online and gun show loophole. This clarification will accomplish the President’s goal, be legally permissible, and tackle the commercial marketplaces that are the source of firearms for felons, domestic abusers and gun traffickers that are seeking to avoid background checks. Last year, Everytown For Gun Safety called on the Biden-Harris Administration to fully implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act with regulatory action that cracks down on no-background-check sales by clarifying the definition of a gun seller who is “engaged in the business.”