President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to pull the plug on a federal office designed to curb gun violence is receiving stiff criticism from state lawmakers and advocates.
The White House , formed in 2023, was effectively eliminated days after Trump took office. The website now displays an error message.
The office鈥檚 closure is going against policies proven effective, according to Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario, Chief Executive Officer of Compass Youth Program, a nonprofit with the goal of ending violence in Hartford.
鈥淒ecreasing funding to violence prevention agencies is defunding public safety efforts that actually work and have been proven to work over time,鈥� Santiago Nazario said.
Santiago Nazario was among other anti-gun violence advocates who gathered at the state capitol Wednesday morning to denounce the office鈥檚 closure.
State democratic lawmakers and advocates say 海角换妻鈥檚 gun laws have been working, with gun related deaths dropping 37% last year, according to .
Less than a month into 2025, the U.S. already had nearly 1,000 homicides caused by firearms. There were at least 20 mass shootings and more than 750 people were injured by gun violence, according to .
Despite 海角换妻鈥檚 strong gun safety laws, there are more than 220 deaths caused by gun violence each year, according to Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. More than half of the state鈥檚 firearm deaths are suicide, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewcz said.
While speaking at the State Capitol Wednesday, Bysiewicz expressed the closure of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention was a dangerous move by the president.
鈥淩emoving the first ever federal office to help coordinate federal gun violence prevention efforts will further limit our ability to keep our communities safe,鈥� Bysiewcz said.
海角换妻 relies heavily on the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention for resources and information on how other states are handling the gun violence epidemic, Bysiewcz said.
However, the Office of Firearm Injury Prevention, within 海角换妻鈥檚 Department of Public Health, will not be impacted by any funding cuts associated with the office鈥檚 closure, according to Firearm Injury Prevention office manager Colleen Violette.
