WASHINGTON – President Biden said Thursday that it was time to end the “trap” and loss of American lives in mass shootings across the country as he urged Congress to adopt “rational, sensible measures,” he said. reduction of gun violence.
“How many carnages are we willing to accept? How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we can say enough? That’s enough,” Mr Biden said in a prime-time address on violence with weapons delivered by the White House.
The president’s remarks come as the nation struggles with the aftermath of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uwalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a symbol of how gun violence is a nationwide problem, 56 candles representing the 50 states and six U.S. territories have outlined Mr. Biden’s path to the Cross Hall podium, according to the White House.
“After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland, nothing has been done,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. We really have to do something this time.
President Joe Biden talks about the latest round of mass shootings and proposed measures to control weapons in the East House of the White House on June 2, 2022. Evan Vucci / AP
As he had stressed before, Mr Biden called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity assault rifles to be lifted – nearly 20 years after it expired – but said that if that could not be done, then the minimum age for buying semi-automatic weapons should be increased from 18 to 21 years. He also called for increased past checks, the adoption of safekeeping and red flag laws, and the lifting of immunity, which protects gun manufacturers from liability.
The president also called for strengthening mental health resources, saying there was a “serious crisis in young people’s mental health” in the county.
Mr Biden was adamant that “this is not about taking away someone’s rights”, refuting some who said gun control measures would violate the rights of the Second Amendment, and stressed that there have long been restrictions on weapons that Americans can to own.
“It’s about protecting children,” Mr Biden said. “It’s about protecting families. It’s about protecting entire communities. It’s about protecting our freedom to go to school, to the grocery store, to church, without being shot and killed.”
After outlining his plan to tackle gun violence, Mr. Biden asked, “What will Congress do?
The Uwalde massacre sparked swift action by the Democrat-controlled Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, which met on Thursday and after a hearing in the marathon proposed a package of bills called the “Protect Our Children” Act that would enforce national gun laws. The full action may come as early as next week, although there is a good chance it will be passed in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are needed to pass legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also told Democrat counterparts in a letter Thursday that after returning from a two-week vacation, the lower house will vote next week on legislation that will enforce a national law on exceptional risk. The chamber will also hold a hearing on the ban on weapons of attack, which expired in 2004, she said.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators is meeting to discuss common points on arms legislation. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut confirmed Monday that they are making progress as they work on details of revised Red Flag legislation, which they both hope will win enough support from the Republican Party. to overcome the revolt in the Senate.
Mr Biden said he supported the Senate’s bipartisan efforts to change national gun laws, but urged the upper house to take action.
“This time we have to take time to do something, and this time it’s time for the Senate to do something,” he said, adding, “My God, the fact that the majority of Republicans in the Senate don’t want anything from these proposals, even if discussed or voted on, I find unscrupulous. We cannot mislead the American people again. “
Add Comment