WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday released the following statement after the Biden administration announced new initiatives to prevent and respond to community violence and ensure public safety:

“Our communities are crying out for help, and President Biden's announcement of new federal dollars and initiatives to prevent community violence is really welcome news,” said Murphy. “While I applaud the president for taking these important steps, I also want to be clear: we need Congress to act on gun violence and help make our communities safer. A good place to start would be to expand background checks on gun sales—the single most effective and popular action we can take—and I’m still working on a legislative compromise to do just that.”

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