There’s a great deal of hand-wringing about the idea that there are secret gun-control provisions in Biden’s spending bill. Gun Owners of America have been spamming social media outlets in an attempt to use this for fundraising. Problem is, it’s a complete lie.
The relevant language starts on page 65. It proposes $2.5 billion in spending over a ten-year period for the following:
(…) to support training, technical assistance, research, evaluation, and data collection on the strategies that are most effective at reducing community violence and ensuring public safety
Notice there is no mention of guns or any kind of gun regulation. If the language about “community violence” sounds familiar, that’s because it is. This is Operation Ceasefire finally being implemented on a national level, and that’s a good thing.
The program was initiated in Boston in the mid-1990s, and it exceeded its stated goals in reducing juvenile homicides. Police unions declared it the Boston Miracle, and it was implemented in several other major cities. Continued...