Source: China News Network
According to US media reports, US President Biden announced a new suicide prevention strategy for active duty and veterans on the 2nd, including promoting the safe storage of firearms and clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of gun dealers.
The plan includes a new federal strategic focus to reduce an individual's risk of suicide by restricting access to items that can be used for self-harm, including drugs, guns or sharp objects.
Infographic: U.S. soldiers walk through the Javits Center in New York, USA. Photo by Liao Pan, a reporter from China News Service
The White House said the Justice Department would soon finalize a rule clarifying the obligations of gun dealers, including providing secure gun storage or safety devices for gun buyers to buy.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) will also issue a best practice guide to all federal gun dealers reminding them to comply with legal requirements to keep customers and communities safe.
U.S. President Joe Biden said, "An average of 17 veterans die by suicide every day, and not in distant places, just at home." Two active-duty soldiers die by suicide every day of the year. They are our daughters, sons, parents, partners, brothers and sisters, beloved friends and comrades-in-arms. ”
Earlier this year, Biden instructed the Justice Department to issue for the state's reference a model "red flag" law that allows for the temporary confiscation of firearms from high-risk individuals.
Biden said he would like to see Congress pass a national "early warning" law and incentivize states to enact their own "early warning" laws.
As part of the new strategy, the Departments of Defense, Departments of Health, Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Department of Transportation's Office of Emergency Medical Services, will jointly develop a plan to address security awareness, education, training and evaluation programs for lethal weapons, the White House said.