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WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden on Thursday declared that “enough is enough” as she did her part to encourage school leaders to promote storing firearms safely to help protect children.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children.
A new initiative was announced at a White House event for school principals with the first lady and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Stefanie Feldman and Greg Jackson, both of the recently established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, also participated.
Biden, who teaches English at a Virginia community college, told the principals that parents trust them, and she encouraged them to be part of the solution.
“You can show parents that they can be part of preventing the next shooting, the next suicide, the next accident,” she said.
The first lady said the issue matters to President Joe Biden.
As part of the announcement, the Justice Department is releasing a guide to safe firearm storage and the Education Department will distribute materials to schools to share with families.
The administration has relied on initiatives like this one, which involves limited executive action and promoting voluntary measures, at a time when tougher gun control proposals are nonstarters in Congress.
There’s no federal law requiring gun owners to lock up their firearms, although the White House has encouraged such rules to be implemented at the state level.
Jill Biden said the number of children lost to gun violence is “unfathomable.”
“Enough is enough. Enough pain. Enough death. No more funerals,” she said. “I don't want to have to put my hand on another cross with an 8-year-old's name. We must change this.”