BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you visit the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention website, you'll encounter a "Page Not Found" error.
For many, the disappearance of the website was a shock. Zeneta Everhart, a Buffalo councilwoman whose son Zaire was injured in the racially motivated Tops Market shooting on May 14, 2022, said, “I just, like, gasped.”
Mark Talley, who lost his mother Geraldine in the same tragedy, expressed less surprise, and said, "No reaction at all. At this point, I get more surprised that people are surprised."
The sudden removal has left many questioning the future of the office, which was instrumental in reducing homicides by 13.5%, shutting down 800 gun dealers, and implementing measures to curb gun violence, according to the advocacy group BRADY.
Everhart, who launched Buffalo's own Gun Violence Prevention Office last year, remains undeterred.
“We knew it was coming right, but it’s real now, and it is sad,” she said. “But I’m still here, doing this work, and we’re going to continue no matter who’s in the White House.”
She emphasized the importance of persistence.
“There is no going backwards for me. I don’t care who’s in the White House. We’re going to be out here, and we’re going to be screaming loud about the need for gun violence prevention in our community," she said.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) reacted by posting on social media platform X that the office's initiatives infringed upon Second Amendment rights.
🚨 The Trump administration has already scrubbed President Biden’s misleading "Office of Gun Violence Prevention" from the official White House website. pic.twitter.com/pxAMoVhmei
— NRA (@NRA) January 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Congressman Tim Kennedy criticized the website's removal, calling it “concerning."
“Simply by taking down this website, it’s a sign of things to come,” he said. “I hope the administration rethinks their vision for safer streets and the future...This is personal for us in Western New York. This is personal for us in Buffalo we saw firsthand on 5/14 a racist terrorist descend upon our community."
I did reach out to the White House and Congressman Nick Langworthy and I have yet to receive a response.
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