On Friday, President Joe Biden announced the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, aiming to address the country’s gun violence epidemic by implementing accelerated executive and legislative action.

Vice President Kamala Harris will oversee the Office of Gun Violence Prevention alongside Stefanie Feldman, Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox. Feldman, a current assistant and White House Staff Secretary, will serve as Director of the Office; Jackson, a survivor of gun violence and the executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund and Wilcox, Senior Director of Federal Government affairs of Everytown for Gun Safety, were appointed as the Office’s Deputy Directors.

Since Biden took office, his administration has advocated for stricter gun laws, primarily with the passing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, enforcing background checks for gun purchasers under 21 years of age.

On Sept. 12,  a group of congressional Democrats delivered a letter to Biden advocating for “full power of the executive branch” to fight gun violence. The establishment of the new office seeks to hasten the administration’s efforts against gun violence, with Biden stating his purpose “to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country.” In 2022, the U.S. saw 645 mass shootings; this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 500 mass shootings.