Covenant School parents attend White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention announcement

Covenant School parents and several Tennessee politicians joined President Joe Biden last week for the announcement of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

The new executive initiative "will focus on implementing executive and legislative action" related to gun violence and will be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Gun violence survivors and gun violence prevention advocates attended the Sept. 22 announcement at the White House.

“Every time I’ve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones, and I’ve met with so many throughout the country, they all have the same message for their elected officials: ‘do something,'" Biden said, while touting the 2022 passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

"We know true freedom is not possible if people are not safe. This epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma that Americans experience every day," Harris added.

Biden policy advisor Stefanie Feldman has been named director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, while gun violence prevention advocates Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox will serve as special assistant to the president and deputy directors of the office.

"They have turned their pain into purpose and dedicated their careers to being advocates for change – that important work will continue as they join my team in these new roles," Biden said.

Biden also reiterated his call for Congress to pass new gun reform legislation including banning "assault weapons" and high-capacity magazines; requiring safe storage of firearms and background checks for all gun sales; eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers regarding legal liability; and support for his Safer America Plan, which in part, seeks additional funding for law enforcement and court systems.

The announcement also included remarks from the first Gen Z member of Congress, 26-year-old Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, who became a gun violence prevention activist following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

"We continue to build bridges for a safer future one (bipartisan) pier at a time," Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows co-founder Melissa Alexander said in a social media post.

In July, a group of Covenant School parents and community members launched two nonprofits, Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows and Covenant Families Action Fund.

Public discussions about gun violence prevention have taken place with elected officials and community leaders throughout Nashville since the end of the August special legislative session on public safety, which resulted in no meaningful gun safety reform.

"This is something that we've been fighting for all summer, and to see them recognize that this is a public [health] crisis and to take action really meant a lot to us," Action Fund President Sarah Shoop Neumann said.

Seven states -- Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, New York and California -- all have offices focused on gun violence, something that Shoop Neumann said she hopes Tennessee adopts.

In March, North Carolina's office was created following an executive order from the governor.

Shoop Neumann said they are focused on finding middle ground away from the extremes of political rhetoric surrounding gun reform and public fears of strict gun control.

"It has nothing to do with any of that," Shoop Neumann said. "We just want kids not to die."