Birmingham mayor speaks at White House as Biden announces executive order to combat gun violence

4 months ago 2

WHAT WE KNOW | THE VICTIMS | THE INVESTIGATION | UAB FOOTBALL PLAYER AFFECTED | WITNESS | THE SCENE | HUSH LOUNGE STATEMENT | BIRMINGHAM MAYOR | CITY COUNCIL | SB3 | BUSINESSES | GLOCK SWITCHES | SCLCDays after the city was rocked by a mass shooting that left for dead and 17 injured, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin traveled to Washington to speak at a White House Event addressing gun violence in the U.S."Gun violence is very, what I would say, very personal to me because I know the scream of a mother when her child is killed," Woodfin said. "I know that because I heard it from the voice of my own mother when my brother was killed by gun violence. I know that scream. I heard that scream again this past Saturday as the lives of four people were stolen and 17 other victims were shot during a horrific mass shooting in Birmingham."During the event, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new executive order that will, in part, "combat the emerging threats of machinegun conversion devices," also known as Glock switches.Birmingham police believe Glock switches were used in that shooting."We've been working with our U.S. attorney, with the Justice Department to get machine gun conversions like Glock switches off our city streets," Woodfin said. "But still, my community and I imagine other communities are still finding the use of these devices at crime scene after crime scene.These devices are easily concealable, measuring at only about an inch long, and can be made of metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer.When attached to the back of a Glock, the user is given the ability to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic. The National Firearms Act classifies the switch itself as a machine gun.According to the White House 5,454 of these devices were recovered by the ATF over a five-year period starting in 2017 which was an increase of 570% over the last five-year period."The 3D-printing of a machinegun conversion device costs as little as 40 cents and takes fewer than 30 minutes," said the White House in a statement. The executive order announced Thursday will establish the Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force. The task force, made up of officials from "key federal departments and agencies," will have 90 days to assess the threat posed by both machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms. It will also assess federal agencies’ "operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept, and seize" both items.In addition to the Executive Order, federal departments and agencies are taking the following actions:Encouraging safe storage of firearmsClarifying Medicaid reimbursement for counseling on firearm safetyImplementing state red flag lawsFunding community violence interventionsClarifying Medicaid reimbursement for violence interventionFacilitating enhanced background checks for individuals under age 21Maximizing the enhanced background check with red flag lawsImproving the federal gun background check systemPublishing additional data on ghost gun trends and firearms traffickingExpanding collection of gun violence dataImproving data on gunshot injuriesAddressing the trauma resulting from gun violenceEnsuring appropriate disposition of firearms seized by law enforcementFacilitating voluntary out-of-home storage to prevent firearm suicideYou can learn more about each action listed above here.

WASHINGTON —

Days after the city was rocked by a mass shooting that left for dead and 17 injured, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin traveled to Washington to speak at a White House Event addressing gun violence in the U.S.

"Gun violence is very, what I would say, very personal to me because I know the scream of a mother when her child is killed," Woodfin said. "I know that because I heard it from the voice of my own mother when my brother was killed by gun violence. I know that scream. I heard that scream again this past Saturday as the lives of four people were stolen and 17 other victims were shot during a horrific mass shooting in Birmingham."

During the event, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new executive order that will, in part, "combat the emerging threats of machinegun conversion devices," also known as Glock switches.

Birmingham police believe Glock switches were used in that shooting.

"We've been working with our U.S. attorney, with the Justice Department to get machine gun conversions like Glock switches off our city streets," Woodfin said. "But still, my community and I imagine other communities are still finding the use of these devices at crime scene after crime scene.

These devices are easily concealable, measuring at only about an inch long, and can be made of metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer.

When attached to the back of a Glock, the user is given the ability to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic. The National Firearms Act classifies the switch itself as a machine gun.

According to the White House 5,454 of these devices were recovered by the ATF over a five-year period starting in 2017 which was an increase of 570% over the last five-year period.

"The 3D-printing of a machinegun conversion device costs as little as 40 cents and takes fewer than 30 minutes," said the White House in a statement.

The executive order announced Thursday will establish the Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force.

The task force, made up of officials from "key federal departments and agencies," will have 90 days to assess the threat posed by both machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms. It will also assess federal agencies’ "operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept, and seize" both items.

In addition to the Executive Order, federal departments and agencies are taking the following actions: