Vice President Kamala Harris returns to Atlanta to talk about gun control

Harris said the Biden administration supports various measures to combat gun violence, including requiring background checks for every gun purchase and banning the sale of assault rifles.

“Too many people, who I would call cowards, have pushed this false choice that either you are for the Second Amendment or you want to take guns away from everyone,” she said.

Harris’ visit comes a week after FBI data for the first quarter of 2024 showed a 15% drop in violent crime nationally compared to the first quarter of last year. Atlanta saw violent crime drop from 800 reported cases in the first three months of 2023 to 656 in the same period this year. However, the number of reported homicides in Atlanta increased from 23 in the first quarter of last year to 27 this year.

The Biden administration takes credit for the decrease in crime, citing the president’s emphasis on gun control, including creating the Office of Gun Violence Prevention last year and sending $15 billion to states and cities in 2022 to invest in improving public safety.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp awarded about $3.3 million in federal grants to Atlanta and Fulton County. The Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County School Board, county government and sheriff’s office used the grant money for things like training, gun safety equipment and concealed weapons detection technology for use in schools.

But Kemp’s office says it’s not just federal money that has helped crack down on crime.

“I think it’s fair to say that if someone claims that $3.3 million in federal grants are responsible for reducing violent crime in cities, then we also have to consider the more than $2.8 billion of dollars in new spending by the governor on law enforcement and public safety initiatives and some of the legislation passed to improve public safety,” said Kemp spokesman Garrison Douglas.

Douglas also cited laws approved under the Kemp administration, such as allowing weapons to be carried without a license and creating a gang prosecution unit.

Biden signed legislation aimed at stopping dangerous people from buying guns by expanding the ban to people convicted of domestic violence and sending more money to states that invest in the mental health system. It is the first bill to strengthen gun control passed by Congress in nearly 30 years.

Butch Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, said that while he doesn’t know how some police departments have spent federal grants, he knows that an investment in technology has helped identify crime suspects and recovering stolen cars.

But Ayers also said to take the FBI’s quarterly statistics with a grain of salt. He said he understands why some Georgians don’t feel crime has decreased.

“Statistics may show that across the country violent crime has decreased, but there may be statistics that show crime has increased in your neighborhood,” he said. “I always say perception is reality. At least that’s their reality. If they don’t feel safe, then they aren’t safe.