Biden urges ban on assault weapons
June 3, 2022
US President Joe Biden called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines during a Thursday address on gun violence following a spate of shootings in the country.
Biden also said that the age to be able to purchase a gun should be raised to 21. He called for the implementation of safe storage laws and personal liability for not locking up a gun.
'Let us finally do something!'
"For God's sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept?" Biden asked.
Biden urged lawmakers to strengthen background checks and pass red flag laws that would allow law enforcement to take guns away from people with mental ilnesses. He said that such laws could have prevented some of the recent shootings in the United States.
He reiterated his administration's appeal for the repeal of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prevents gun manufacturers from being held liable for crimes committed with their products.
"After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland, nothing has been done," Biden said, listing major mass shootings from the past decade. "This time that can't be true."
"Over the last two decades, more school-age children have died from guns than on duty police officers and active duty military combined. Think about that," Biden noted.
"Let us finally do something!" he concluded.
Mass shootings reignite US gun debate
A recent spate of mass shootings has reignited the gun control debate in the United States.
Earlier this week, a gunman entered a medical center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and killed four.
Last week, a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Biden pledged to meet with Congress to discuss gun laws in the wake of the shooting.
Earlier in May, a shooter killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
Republican opposition to tougher gun laws
Republican lawmakers, however, have largely resisted tougher gun laws, with Republicans in the US House of Representatives objecting to an attempt by Democrats to impose new limits on gun purchases.
The bill would raise the minimum age for buying certain guns to 21 from 18 and clamp down on weapons trafficking. It would also restrict large-capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Biden's Democrats — who hold half of the seats — will need support from some Republicans to pass gun control legislation. A bill needs 60 votes out of 100 to overcome fillibustering, meaning that with the current composition of the Senate any new law will need some Republican support to pass the Congress' upper house.
sdi/sri (AP, Reuters)