The second gentleman Douglas Emhoff strode into the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at precisely 3:15 p.m., greeting the roundtable participants with “Good afternoon” before settling into his seat.
Eleven individuals, including the second gentleman, occupied seats adorned with name tags and equipped with microphones. At the forefront, a screen proclaimed the purpose: “Roundtable on the Growth Opportunities Program Announcement”
Deputy Director of the WH Office of Gun Violence Prevention Gregory Jackson Jr. spoke first, introducing the second gentleman Douglas Emhoff who spoke next, noting the country is facing an “epidemic of gun violence.”
He mentioned the shooting in Kansas City earlier this month at the Super Bowl victory celebration.
He went on to say “this is not just mass shootings.”
“This is every day, shootings every single day all across the country,” he said.
Emhoff noted that in his role as second gentleman he has met with victims and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. “I’ve seen the impacts,” he said. He specifically recounted visiting Highland Park, Illinois with the vice president the day after the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in 2022.
“This also disproportionately harms black Americans,” he also noted.
“This just needs to stop. It must end. We have solutions,” he said.
“We need Congress to act,” he added.
He mentioned the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, calling it “the most significant legislation in years,” but added “it was clearly not enough” and reiterated his call for Congress to do more.
