President Obama Announces 23 New Measures to
Prevent Gun Violence, January 16, 2013
White House,
January 16, 2013
President Obama Signing New Measures to Prevent Gun Violence, January
16, 2013
President Obama today announced a series of sweeping
reforms that will help curb gun violence in our nation.
In front of a crowd that included victims of
gun violence, families who lost loved ones to gun violence, elected
officials, and school children who had written letters asking him to do
something to prevent more senseless massacres like the one at Sandy Hook
Elementary School, the
President introduced a comprehensive proposal that will make it easier to
keep guns out of the hands of criminals
and will give law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals, and the
public health community the tools they need to help reduce gun violence, and
keep our children safe.
“This is our first task as a society,” the President
said. “This is how we will be judged. And their voices should compel us to
change.”
The President acknowledged that implementing some of
these changes will be difficult, but vowed to make it a priority: “I intend
to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality. Because
while there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of
violence completely, if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this
violence – if even one life can be saved – we have an obligation to try.”
While President Obama will sign 23 Executive Actions
today that will help keep our kids safe, he was clear that he cannot and
should not act alone: The most important changes depend on Congressional
action. The President is calling on lawmakers to pass some specific
proposals, including the elimination of all loopholes and require a
universal background check on anyone trying to buy a gun, restoring the ban
on military-style assault weapons and a 10-round limit for magazines, and
creating tougher penalties on people who buy guns with the express purpose
of reselling them to criminals.
President Obama also affirmed his belief that the
Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms, and stressed
that, like most Americans, he believes that we all have a responsibility to
take all reasonable steps to ensure guns are used safely:
I also believe most gun owners agree that we can
respect the Second Amendment while keeping an irresponsible, law-breaking
few from inflicting harm on a massive scale. I believe most of them agree
that if America worked harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous
people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one that occurred in
Newtown. That’s what these reforms are designed to do. They’re common-sense
measures. They have the support of the majority of the American people.
The President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
On January 15, 2013, Vice President Biden delivered his policy
proposals to President Obama. The package of recommendations, released
publicly January 16, 2013, details ways we can help keep guns out of the
wrong hands, make our schools safer, and increase access to mental health
services.
Require background checks for all gun sales The single most important
thing we can do to prevent gun violence and mass shootings is to make sure
those who would commit acts of violence cannot get access to guns. Right
now, federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background
checks on those buying guns, but studies estimate that nearly 40 percent of
all gun sales are made by private sellers who are exempt from this
requirement. A national survey of inmates found that only 12 percent of
those who used a handgun in a crime acquired it from a retail store or pawn
shop, where a background check should have been run.
Congress should
pass legislation that goes beyond closing the “gun show loophole” to require
background checks for all firearm sales, with limited, common-sense
exceptions for cases like certain transfers between family members and
temporary transfers for hunting and sporting purposes. #NowIsTheTime to
require background checks for all gun sales Wh.gov/nowisthetime
Strengthen the background check system for gun sales The background check
system is highly efficient and effective; during its 14 years in existence,
the system has helped keep more than 1.5 million guns out of the wrong
hands. But we must do a better job ensuring the background check system has
access to complete data about potentially dangerous individuals.
For
example, although the number of mental health records available to the
system has increased by 800 percent since 2004, a recent report by the
Government Accountability Office found that there are still 17 states that
have made fewer than 10 mental health records available to the background
check system. We need to make sure states and federal agencies are making
available reliable information on those prohibited from having guns to the
background check system. #NowIsTheTime to strengthen the background check
system for gun sales
Pass a new, stronger ban on assault weapons Assault rifles have been used
in several recent mass shootings. The shooters in Aurora and Newtown used
the type of semiautomatic rifles that were the target of the assault weapons
ban that was in place from 1994 to 2004. That ban was an important step, but
manufacturers were able to circumvent the prohibition with cosmetic
modifications to their weapons. Congress must reinstate and strengthen the
prohibition on assault weapons. #NowIsTheTime to pass a new, stronger ban on
assault weapons
Limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds The case for prohibiting
high-capacity magazines has been proven over and over; the shooters at
Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown all used magazines
holding more than 10 rounds, which would have been prohibited under the 1994
law. These magazines enable any semiautomatic weapon to be used as an
instrument of mass violence, yet they are once again legal and now come
standard with many handguns and rifles. Congress needs to reinstate the
prohibition on magazines holding more than 10 rounds. #NowIsTheTime to limit
ammunition magazines to 10 rounds
Finish the job of getting armor-piercing bullets off the streets It is
already illegal to manufacture and import armor-piercing ammunition except
for military or law enforcement use. But it is generally still not illegal
to possess or transfer this dangerous ammunition. Congress should finish the
job of protecting law enforcement and the public by banning the possession
of armor-piercing ammunition by, and its transfer to, anyone other than the
military and law enforcement. #NowIsTheTime to finish getting armor piercing
bullets off the streets
Give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime
In order to prevent and respond to gun violence, we must give law
enforcement every tool they need to keep us safe. That includes passing
stronger laws to stop those who would put guns into the hands of criminals,
keeping 15,000 cops on the street, and eliminating restrictions that keep
federal law enforcement from doing its job. #NowIsTheTime to give law
enforcement the tools they need to prevent and prosecute gun crime
End the freeze on gun violence research There are approximately 30,000
firearm-related homicides and suicides a year, a number large enough to make
clear this is a public health crisis. But for years, the Centers for Disease
Control and other scientific agencies have been barred by Congress from
using funds to “advocate or promote gun control,” and some members of
Congress have claimed this prohibition also bans the CDC from conducting any
research on the causes of gun violence. However, research on gun violence is
not advocacy. The President is directing the CDC and other research agencies
to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence, and the
CDC is announcing that they will begin this research. #NowIsTheTime to end
the freeze on gun violence research
Make our schools safer with new resource officers and counselors, better
emergency response plans, and more nurturing school climates The
Administration is calling on Congress to help schools hire up to 1,000 more
school resource officers, school psychologists, social workers, and
counselors, as well as make other investments in school safety. We also need
to make sure every school has a comprehensive emergency management plan so
they are prepared to respond to situations like mass shootings. In addition,
the Administration is proposing to help 8,000 schools put in place proven
strategies to prevent violence and improve school climate by reducing
bullying, drug abuse, violence, and other problem behaviors. #NowIsTheTime
to make our schools safer
Ensure quality coverage of mental health treatment, particularly for
young people Though the vast majority of Americans with a mental illness are
not violent, we need to do more to identify mental health issues early and
help individuals get the treatment they need before dangerous situations
develop. As President Obama has said, “We are going to need to work on
making access to mental health care as easy as access to a gun.” The
Administration is proposing steps to identify mental health issues early and
help individuals get the treatment they need before these dangerous
situations develop. #NowIsTheTime to ensure quality coverage of mental
health treatment, particularly for young people Wh.gov/nowisthetime No
single law – or even set of laws – can prevent every act of violence in our
country. But the fact that this problem is complex can not be an excuse for
inaction.
***
Most gun owners are responsible and law-abiding, and they use their guns
safely. The President strongly believes that the Second Amendment guarantees
an individual right to bear arms. But to better protect our children and our
communities from tragic mass shootings like those in Newtown, Aurora, Oak
Creek, and Tucson, there are four common-sense steps we can take right now.
The President’s plan includes:
1. Closing background check loopholes to keep guns out of dangerous
hands;
2. Banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,
and taking other common-sense steps to reduce gun violence;
3. Making schools safer; and
4. Increasing access to mental health services. While no law or set of
laws will end gun violence, it is clear that the American people want
action. If even one child’s life can be saved, then we need to act. Now
is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and
the country we love.
1.
CLOSIN G BAC KGROUND CHEC K LOOPHOLES TO KEE P GUNS OUT OF DAN GER OUS HANDS
Most gun owners buy their guns legally and use them safely, whether for
self-defense, hunting, or sport shooting. Yet too often, irresponsible
and dangerous individuals have been able to easily get their hands on
firearms. We must strengthen our efforts to keep guns from falling into the
wrong hands.
RE QUIRE BAC KGROUND CHEC KS FOR ALL GUN SALES
The single most important thing we can do to prevent gun violence and
mass shootings, like the one in Newtown, is to make sure those who would
commit acts of violence cannot get access to guns. A critical tool in
achieving that goal is the National Instant Criminal Background Check
System, which was created by the Brady Act to ensure that guns are not
sold to those prohibited from buying them, including felons and those
convicted of domestic violence. Over the last 14 years it has helped keep
more than 1.5 million guns out of the wrong hands. It is able to make 92
percent of background check determinations on the spot. However, too many
guns are still sold without a background check and too many individuals
prohibited from having a gun slip through the cracks. We need to strengthen
the system by requiring every gun buyer to go through a background check and
ensuring that the background check system has complete information on
people prohibited from having guns. We should:
• Require criminal background checks for all gun sales: Right now,
federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background checks
on those buying guns, but studies estimate that nearly 40 percent of all
gun sales are made by private sellers who are exempt from this
requirement. A national survey of inmates found that only 12 percent of
those who used a gun in a crime acquired it from a retail store or pawn
shop, where a background check should have been run. Congress should pass
legislation that goes beyond just closing the “gun show loophole” to
require background checks for all firearm sales, with limited, common-sense
exceptions for cases like certain transfers between family members and
temporary transfers for hunting and sporting purposes.
• Call on licensed dealers and private sellers to do their part through
executive action: Private sellers can already choose to sell their guns
through licensed dealers so the dealer can run a background check on the
buyer, and the Administration is calling on them to do so. The Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) will send an open letter to
licensed dealers giving them guidance on how best to facilitate these
checks.
STREN GTHEN THE BAC KGROUND CHEC K SYSTEM
The background check system is the most efficient and effective way to
keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, but we need to make
sure it has access to complete information about these individuals. For
example, although the number of mental health records available to the
system has increased by 800 percent since 2004, a recent report by the
Government Accountability Office found that there are still 17 states
that have made fewer than 10 mental health records available. We need to
make sure reliable data on prohibited purchasers is available to the
background check system. The Administration is announcing four new
executive actions to enhance the system’s ability to identify dangerous
people and stop them from getting guns:
• Address unnecessary legal barriers that prevent states from reporting
information about those prohibited from having guns: Some states have
cited concerns about restrictions under the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act as a reason not to share relevant information on
people prohibited from gun ownership for mental health reasons. The
Administration will begin the regulatory process to remove any needless
barriers, starting by gathering information about the scope and extent of
the problem.
• Improve incentives for states to share information with the background
check system: States are a critical source for several key categories of
relevant records and data, including criminal history records and records
of persons prohibited from having guns for mental health reasons. The
Department of Justice will invest $20 million in FY2013 to give states
stronger incentives to make this data available. The Administration is
also proposing $50 million for this purpose in FY2014, and will look for
additional ways to ensure that states are doing their part to provide
relevant information.
• Hold federal agencies accountable for sharing reliable information with
the background check system: Some federal agencies also have relevant
records. The President is issuing a Presidential Memorandum holding
agencies to requirements that they identify these records, make them
available to the background check system, and regularly report that those
records are complete and up-to-date.
• Make sure dangerous people are prohibited from having guns: The
background check system is designed to keep guns out of the hands of
those forbidden by law to have them. But we need to make sure our laws
are effective at identifying the dangerous or untrustworthy individuals
that should not have access to guns. The President will direct the Attorney
General, in consultation with other relevant agencies, to review the laws
governing who is prohibited from having guns and make legislative and
executive recommendations to ensure dangerous people aren’t slipping
through the cracks.
2: BANNIN G MILI TAR Y-STYLE ASSAUL T WEA PONS AND HI GH-CA PACI TY MAGAZINES , AND TAKIN G OTHER COMMON-SENSE STEPS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE
We need to do more to prevent easy access to instruments of mass
violence. We also need to provide law enforcement with additional tools
to prevent gun violence, end the freeze on gun violence research, make
sure health care providers know they can report credible threats of violence
and talk to their patients about gun safety, and promote responsible gun
ownership.
GET MILI TAR Y-STYLE ASSAUL T WEA PONS AND HI GH-CA PACI TY
MAGAZINES OFF THE STREE TS
A 2010 survey by the Police Executive Research Forum found that more
than one-third of police departments reported an increase in criminals’
use of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines since the prohibition
on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons expired in 2004. To protect
law enforcement and enhance public safety, we must redouble our efforts to:
• Reinstate and strengthen the ban on assault weapons: The shooters
in Aurora and Newtown used the type of semiautomatic rifles that were the
target of the assault weapons ban that was in place from 1994 to 2004.
That ban was an important step, but manufacturers were able to circumvent
the prohibition with cosmetic modifications to their weapons. Congress must
reinstate and strengthen the prohibition on assault weapons.
• Limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds: The case for prohibiting
high-capacity magazines has been proven over and over; the shooters at
Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown all used magazines
holding more than 10 rounds, which would have been prohibited under the
1994 law. These magazines enable any semiautomatic weapon to be used as
an instrument of mass violence, yet they are once again legal and now come
standard with many handguns and rifles. Congress needs to reinstate the
prohibition on magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
• Finish the job of getting armor-piercing bullets off the streets:
It is already illegal to manufacture and import armor-piercing ammunition
except for military or law enforcement use.
But it is generally still
not illegal to possess or transfer this dangerous ammunition. Congress
should finish the job of protecting law enforcement and the public by
banning the possession of armorpiercing ammunition by, and its transfer
to, anyone other than the military and law enforcement.
GIVE LA W EN FORCE MEN T ADDI TIONAL TOOLS TO PRE VEN T AND
PROSECU TE GUN CRI ME
In order to prevent and respond to gun violence, we must give law
enforcement every tool they need to keep us safe. That includes passing
stronger laws to stop those who would put guns into the hands of
criminals, keeping 15,000 cops on the street, and eliminating restrictions
that keep federal law enforcement from doing its job.
• Create serious punishments for gun trafficking: Today, criminals
can easily buy guns from unlicensed dealers, or acquire them with the
help of so-called “straw purchasers” who pass the required background
check to buy guns from licensed dealers. But there is no explicit law
against straw purchasing, so straw purchasers and others who traffic guns
can often only be prosecuted for paperwork violations. We cannot allow
those who help put guns into the hands of criminals to get away with just
a slap on the wrist. Congress should close these loopholes with new gun
trafficking laws that impose serious penalties for these crimes.
• Help communities across the country keep 15,000 cops on the street:
One of the most important steps we can take to reduce gun violence is to
keep police officers at their posts in our neighborhoods and communities.
The President is calling on Congress to act on the Administration’s $4
billion proposal to help keep 15,000 cops on the street in cities and towns
across the country.
• Take executive action to enhance tracing data: When law enforcement
recovers a gun during a criminal investigation, they can trace that gun’s
path from its manufacturer, to the dealer who sold it, to its first
purchaser. This gun tracing process helps law enforcement solve violent
crimes by generating leads in specific cases and can reveal gun trafficking
patterns when large amounts of tracing data are combined. However, not
all federal law enforcement agencies are uniformly required to trace all
guns they recover and keep in custody. The President will issue a
Presidential Memorandum requiring them to trace all such firearms.
• Take executive action to help law enforcement avoid returning guns
to the wrong hands: Law enforcement should never be put in the position
of unknowingly returning a gun to an individual who is prohibited from
having it. Currently, when law enforcement must
return firearms
seized as part of an investigation, they do not have the ability to conduct
a full background check on the owner. The Administration will propose
regulations to ensure that law enforcement has access to the database
needed for complete background checks.
• Finally give the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives (ATF) a confirmed director: The ATF has not had a confirmed
director for six years. There is no excuse for leaving the key agency
enforcing gun laws in America without a leader. It is time for Congress
to confirm an ATF director.
• Eliminate restrictions that force the ATF to authorize importation
of dangerous weapons simply because of their age: ATF is required to
authorize the importation of certain “curio or relic” firearms, and
outdated regulations include all firearms manufactured more than 50 years
ago in the definition of “curio or relic.” But today, firearms manufactured
more than 50 years ago include large numbers of semiautomatic
military-surplus rifles, some of which are easily convertible into
machine guns or otherwise appealing for use in crime. Congress should get
rid of restrictions that prevent ATF from changing this definition, enabling
ATF to ensure that firearms imported as curios or relics are actually of
interest as collectibles, rather than letting these rules be used as a
way to acquire fully functional and powerful military weapons.
• Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute
gun crime: The Attorney General will work with all United States
Attorneys to continue to ensure that every appropriate resource is
focused on preventing gun violence. To this end, the Attorney General
will ask all U.S. Attorneys to consider whether supplemental efforts would
be appropriate in their districts, in areas such as prosecutions of
people who have been convicted of a felony and illegally seek to obtain a
firearm, or people who attempt to evade the background check system by
providing false information.
• Analyze information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely
available to law enforcement: The Department of Justice will publish an
annual report on lost and stolen guns to ensure that data collected by
ATF is available. This report will include state-by-state statistics
about guns reported as missing. Making this data available will provide
valuable information to law enforcement about how to target its
resources, and give states and cities the information they need to pass
laws and take other effective steps to make sure that lost and stolen guns
are reported. The Department will also identify best practices that are
working today and encourage states and cities to follow those models.
• Provide effective training for active shooter situations for 14,000
law enforcement officers, first responders, and school officials: One of
the best ways to minimize the loss of life in a mass shooting is to make
sure law enforcement, first responders, school officials, and others are
prepared to respond to an active shooter. The Administration will
immediately expand access to federal training, and federal agencies will
ensure that protocols for responding to active shooter situations are
consistent. And Congress should provide an additional $14 million to help
train 14,000 more police officers and other public and private personnel to
respond to active shooter situations.
END THE FREE ZE ON GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH
There are approximately 30,000 firearm-related homicides and suicides
a year, a number large enough to make clear this is a public health
crisis. But for years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other
scientific agencies have been barred by Congress from using funds to
“advocate or promote gun control,” and some members of Congress have
claimed this prohibition also bans the CDC from conducting any research
on the causes of gun violence. However, research on gun violence is not
advocacy; it is critical public health research that gives all Americans
information they need.
• Conduct research on the causes and prevention of gun violence,
including links between video games, media images, and violence: The
President is issuing a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for
Disease Control and scientific agencies to conduct research into the
causes and prevention of gun violence. It is based on legal analysis that
concludes such research is not prohibited by any appropriations language.
The CDC will start immediately by assessing existing strategies for
preventing gun violence and identifying the most pressing research
questions, with the greatest potential public health impact. And the
Administration is calling on Congress to provide $10 million for the CDC to
conduct further research, including investigating the relationship
between video games, media images, and violence.
• Better understand how and when firearms are used in violent death:
To research gun violence prevention, we also need better data. When
firearms are used in homicides or suicides, the National Violent Death
Reporting System collects anonymous data, including the type of firearm
used, whether the firearm was stored loaded or locked, and details on youth
gun access. Congress should invest an additional $20 million to expand
this system from the 18 states
currently participating to all 50
states, helping Americans better understand how and when firearms are
used in a violent death and informing future research and prevention
strategies.
PRESER VE THE RI GHTS OF HEAL TH CARE PROVIDERS TO PROTEC T THEIR
PATIEN TS AND COMMUNI TIES FROM GUN VIOLENCE
We should never ask doctors and other health care providers to turn a
blind eye to the risks posed by guns in the wrong hands.
• Clarify that no federal law prevents health care providers from
warning law enforcement authorities about threats of violence: Doctors
and other mental health professionals play an important role in
protecting the safety of their patients and the broader community by
reporting direct and credible threats of violence to the authorities. But
there is public confusion about whether federal law prohibits such
reports about threats of violence. The Department of Health and Human
Services is issuing a letter to health care providers clarifying that no
federal law prohibits these reports in any way.
• Protect the rights of health care providers to talk to their
patients about gun safety: Doctors and other health care providers also
need to be able to ask about firearms in their patients’ homes and safe
storage of those firearms, especially if their patients show signs of
certain mental illnesses or if they have a young child or mentally ill
family member at home. Some have incorrectly claimed that language in the
Affordable Care Act prohibits doctors from asking their patients about
guns and gun safety. Medical groups also continue to fight against state
laws attempting to ban doctors from asking these questions. The
Administration will issue guidance clarifying that the Affordable Care
Act does not prohibit or otherwise regulate communication between doctors
and patients, including about firearms.
ENC OURA GE GUN OWNERS TO LI VE UP TO THEIR RES PONSI BILI TY TO
STORE GUNS SA FEL Y
The President believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an
individual right to bear arms, and he respects our nation’s rich hunting
and sport shooting traditions and the millions of responsible Americans
who participate in them every year. But this right comes with a
responsibility to safely store guns to prevent them from accidentally or
intentionally being used to harm others. The Administration is
encouraging gun owners to take responsibility for keeping their guns safe
and encouraging the development of technology that will make it easier
for gun owners to meet this
responsibility, and the Consumer Product
Safety Commission is assessing the need for new standards for gun locks.
• Launch a national responsible gun ownership campaign: The
Administration will encourage gun owners to take responsibility for
keeping their guns safe with a national campaign. The campaign will
promote common-sense gun safety measures like the use of gun safes and
trigger locks, separate storage of guns and ammunition, and the reporting of
lost and stolen weapons to law enforcement.
• Review and enhance as warranted safety standards for gun locks and
gun safes: We also need to make sure that gun locks and gun safes work as
intended. Several gun locks have been subject to recall due to their
failure to function properly; that is not acceptable. The Chair of the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) intends to review the
effectiveness of gun locks and gun safes, including existing voluntary
industry standards, and take any steps that may be warranted to improve
the standards as well as to protect the public from unreasonable risks of
injury or death that arise when those products within the CPSC’s
jurisdiction fail.
• Encourage the development of innovative gun safety technology:
Despite rapid advances in technologies in recent years, there are few
readily available firearms that utilize these new technologies to help
guard against unauthorized access and use. The President is directing the
Attorney General to work with technology experts to review existing and
emerging gun safety technologies, and to issue a report on the
availability and use of those technologies. In addition, the
Administration will issue a challenge to the private sector to develop
innovative and cost-effective gun safety technology and provide prizes
for those technologies that are proven to be reliable and effective.
3: MAKIN G SCH OOLS SA FER
We need to make our schools safer, not only by enhancing their
physical security and making sure they are prepared to respond to
emergencies like a mass shooting, but also by creating safer and more
nurturing school climates that help prevent school violence. Each school is
different and should have the flexibility to address its most pressing
needs. Some schools will want trained and armed police; others may prefer
increased counseling services. Either way, each district should be able to
choose what is best to protect its own students.
PUT UP TO 1,000 MORE
SCH OOL RES OURCE OFFICERS AND COUNSEL ORS IN SCH OOLS AND HEL P SCH OOLS
IN VES T IN SA FETY
Putting school resource officers and mental health professionals in
schools can help prevent school crime and student-on-student violence.
School resource officers are specially trained police officers that work
in schools. When equipped with proper training and supported by
evidence-based school discipline policies, they can deter crime with
their presence and advance community policing objectives. Their roles as
teachers and counselors enable them to develop trusting relationships
with students that can result in threats being detected and crises averted
before they occur. School psychologists, social workers, and counselors
can help create a safe and nurturing school climate by providing mental
health services to students who need help. Not every school will want police
officers or additional school counselors, but we should do what we can to
help schools get the staff they determine they need to stay safe.
• Take executive action to provide incentives for schools to hire
school resource officers: COPS Hiring Grants, which help police
departments hire officers, can already be used by departments to fund
school resource officers. This year, the Department of Justice will
provide an incentive for police departments to hire these officers by
providing a preference for grant applications that support school
resource officers.
• Put up to 1,000 new school resource officers and school counselors
on the job: The Administration is proposing a new Comprehensive School
Safety program, which will help school districts hire staff and make
other critical investments in school safety. The program will give $150
million to school districts and law enforcement agencies to hire school
resource officers, school psychologists, social workers, and counselors.
The Department of Justice will also develop a model for using school
resource officers, including best practices on age-appropriate methods
for working with students.
• Invest in other strategies to make our schools safer: School
districts could also use these Comprehensive School Safety Grants to
purchase school safety equipment; develop and update public safety plans;
conduct threat assessments; and train “crisis intervention teams” of law
enforcement officers to work with the mental health community to respond to
and assist students in crisis. And the General Services Administration
will use its purchasing power to help schools buy safety equipment
affordably.
ENSURE EVERY SCH OOL HAS A COMPREHENSI VE EMERGENC Y
MANA GEMEN T PLAN
In the unthinkable event of another school shooting, it is essential
that schools have in place effective and reliable plans to respond. A
2010 survey found that while 84 percent of public schools had a written
response plan in the event of a shooting, only 52 percent had drilled their
students on the plan in the past year. We must ensure that every school
has a high-quality plan in place and that students and staff are prepared
to follow it.
• Give schools and other institutions a model for how to develop and
implement reliable plans: The Departments of Education, Justice, Health
and Human Services, and Homeland Security will release—by May 2013—a set
of model, high-quality emergency management plans for schools, houses of
worship, and institutions of higher education, along with best practices
for developing these plans and training students and staff to follow them.
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the
Department of Justice, will assist interested schools, houses of worship,
and institutions of higher education in completing their own security
assessments.
• Help schools develop and implement emergency plans: Congress should
provide $30 million of one-time grants to states to help their school
districts develop and implement emergency management plans. But schools
also need to take responsibility for getting effective plans in place.
Going forward, Congress should require states and school districts that
receive school safety funding from the Department of Education to have
comprehensive, up-to-date emergency plans in place for all of their
schools.
CREA TE A SA FER CLI MATE AT SCH OOLS ACR OSS THE COUN TRY
A report issued by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of
Education after the Columbine shooting found that one of the best things
schools can do to reduce violence and bullying is to improve a school’s
climate and increase trust and communication between students and staff.
Fortunately, we already have evidence-based strategies which have been found
to reduce bullying and other problem behaviors like drug abuse or poor
attendance, while making students feel safer at school and improving
academic performance.
• Help 8,000 schools create safer and more nurturing school climates:
With technical assistance from the Department of Education, 18,000
schools have already put in place
evidence-based strategies to
improve school climate. These strategies involve certain steps for the
whole school (like consistent rules and rewards for good behavior), with
more intensive steps for groups of students exhibiting at-risk behavior,
and individual services for students who continue to exhibit troubling
behavior. The Administration is proposing a new, $50 million initiative
to help 8,000 more schools train their teachers and other school staff to
implement these strategies. The Administration will also develop a school
climate survey, providing reliable data to help schools implement
policies to improve climate.
• Share best practices on school discipline: Students who are
suspended or expelled are far more likely to repeat a grade, not
graduate, or become involved in the juvenile justice system. As a result,
effective school discipline policies are critical to addressing school and
community crime and violence issues. The Department of Education will
collect and disseminate best practices on school discipline polices and
help school districts develop and equitably implement their policies.
IMPROVIN G MEN TAL HEAL TH SER VICES
As President Obama said, “We are going to need to work on making
access to mental health care as easy as access to a gun.” Today, less
than half of children and adults with diagnosable mental health problems
receive the treatment they need. While the vast majority of Americans with a
mental illness are not violent, several recent mass shootings have
highlighted how some cases of mental illness can develop into crisis
situations if individuals do not receive proper treatment. We need to do
more than just keep guns out of the hands of people with serious mental
illness; we need to identify mental health issues early and help
individuals get the treatment they need before these dangerous situations
develop.
MAKE SURE STUDEN TS AND YOUN G ADUL TS GET TREA TMEN T FOR MEN TAL
HEAL TH ISSUES
Three-quarters of mental illnesses appear by the age of 24, yet less
than half of children with diagnosable mental health problems receive
treatment. And several recent mass shootings, including those at Newtown,
Tucson, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, were perpetrated by students or other
young people.
• Reach 750,000 young people through programs to identify mental
illness early and refer them to treatment: We need to train teachers and
other adults who regularly interact with students to recognize young
people who need help and ensure they are referred to mental
health services. The Administration is calling for a new initiative,
Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education), to
provide this training and set up systems to provide these referrals. This
initiative, which would reach 750,000 young people, has two parts:
• Provide “Mental Health First Aid” training for teachers: Project
AWARE includes $15 million for training for teachers and other adults who
interact with youth to detect and respond to mental illness in children
and young adults, including how to encourage adolescents and families
experiencing these problems to seek treatment.
• Make sure students with signs of mental illness get referred to
treatment: Project AWARE also includes $40 million to help school
districts work with law enforcement, mental health agencies, and other
local organizations to assure students with mental health issues or other
behavioral issues are referred to the services they need. This initiative
builds on strategies that, for over a decade, have proven to decrease
violence in schools and increase the number of students receiving mental
health services.
• Support individuals ages 16 to 25 at high risk for mental illness:
Efforts to prevent school shootings and other gun violence can’t end when
a student leaves high school. Individuals ages 16 to 25 are at high risk
for mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide, but they are among the
least likely to seek help. Even those who received services as a child may
fall through the cracks when they turn 18. The Administration is
proposing $25 million for innovative state-based strategies supporting
young people ages 16 to 25 with mental health or substance abuse issues.
• Help schools address pervasive violence: Twenty-two percent of 14
to 17 year olds have witnessed a shooting in their lifetime. Research
shows that exposure to community violence can impact children’s mental
health and development and can substantially increase the likelihood that
these children will later commit violent acts themselves. To help schools
break the cycle of violence, Congress should provide $25 million to offer
students mental health services for trauma or anxiety, conflict
resolution programs, and other school-based violence prevention strategies.
• Train more than 5,000 additional mental health professionals to
serve students and young adults: Experts often cite the shortage of
mental health service providers as one reason it can be hard to access
treatment. To help fill this gap, the Administration is proposing $50
million to train social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other mental
health professionals. This would provide stipends and tuition
reimbursement to train more than 5,000 mental health professionals
serving young people in our schools and communities.
• Launch a national conversation to increase understanding about
mental health: The sense of shame and secrecy associated with mental
illness prevents too many people from seeking help. The President is
directing Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan to launch a national dialogue
about mental illness with young people who have experienced mental illness,
members of the faith community, foundations, and school and business
leaders.
ENSURE COVERA GE OF MEN TAL HEAL TH TREA TMEN T
While most mental illnesses are treatable, those with mental illness
often can’t get needed treatment if they don’t have health insurance that
covers mental health services. The Affordable Care Act will provide one
of the largest expansions of mental health coverage in a generation by
extending health coverage to 30 million Americans, including an estimated
6 to 10 million people with mental illness. The Affordable Care Act will
also make sure that Americans can get the mental health treatment they
need by ensuring that insurance plans cover mental health benefits at parity
with other benefits.
• Finalize requirements for private health insurance plans to cover
mental health services: The Administration will issue final regulations
governing how existing group health plans that offer mental health
services must cover them at parity under the Mental Health Parity and
Addiction Equity Act of 2008. In addition, the Affordable Care Act requires
all new small group and individual plans to cover ten essential health
benefit categories, including mental health and substance abuse services.
The Administration intends to issue next month the final rule defining
these essential health benefits and implementing requirements for these
plans to cover mental health benefits at parity with medical and surgical
benefits.
• Make sure millions of Americans covered by Medicaid get quality
mental health coverage: Medicaid is already the biggest funder of mental
health services, and the Affordable Care Act will extend Medicaid
coverage to as many as 17 million hardworking Americans. There is some
evidence that Medicaid plans are not always meeting mental health parity
requirements today, an issue that will only become more important as
Medicaid is expanded. The Administration is issuing a letter to state
health officials making clear that these plans must comply with mental
health parity requirements.
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expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors
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