WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden called on Congress to “immediately approve” legislation that would fill loopholes in gun checks and ban offensive weapons and high capacity magazines in his first public remarks after the mass shooting of a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. 10 people were killed.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take reasonable steps that will save lives in the future and urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said on Tuesday, speaking from Cairo. White House dining room.
Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were “devastated” by the shooting, adding that he “could not imagine the feeling of the families – the victims whose futures were stolen from them.”
“As president, I will use all the resources available to me to keep the American people safe,” he said in remarks that lasted six minutes.
Monday’s massacre at a King Super grocery store was the second mass shooting in the country in a week, six days after an attack on three health resorts in Georgia killed eight people. Reigniting the debate over gun control as Biden also faces challenges posed by a global pandemic and a growing number of immigrants gathering at the US-Mexico border.
Biden pointed out Two bills passed to the House of Representatives This month would “fill in the holes in the background system” and urge the Senate to act urgently to pass both.
One might expand background checks for individuals seeking to purchase or transfer firearms, while the other would close the “Charleston loophole,” a loophole in federal law that allows gun sales to be pursued without a full background check if three business days have passed.
“These bills have garnered votes with both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives. This is not and should not be a partisan issue. This is an American issue that will save American lives and lives. We have to act. We must also ban offensive weapons in the process.”
Biden said he lacked all the details about the latest proposal. He cited a law he helped pass as a Delaware senator in 1994 banning the manufacture of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines for civilian use. The law was gradually repealed in 2004, however, under a 10-year ruling. A new bill sponsored Written by Senator Diane Feinstein, Democrat of California, and Representative David Sislin, Dr. I. They will revive the offensive arms embargo.
“It’s been the law for the longest time,” Biden said. These mass killings have been dropped. We must do it again. ”
In addition to the legislation, White House Press Secretary Jane Psaki told reporters that the Biden administration is considering “a range of levers,” including enforcement measures, to address weapon safety. It did not elaborate.
The murdered officer “defines an American hero,” says Biden
The president said Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray briefed him on the shooting. He spoke to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and plans to speak to Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver. Biden said he “will have a lot to say as we learn more.”
Biden made the comments before leaving Air Force One for Columbus, Ohio, where he toured Ohio State University Hospital on the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act coming into effect.
“I hope so,” Biden said, cleaving his fingers, when asked if he had the political capital to go ahead with the arms measures. “I don’t know. I haven’t made any count yet.”
Biden directed the flags to the White House to be passed on to half the staff, just hours after the president’s previous order to honor Atlanta victims to cut the flags expired.
Colorado law enforcement authorities have identified 21-year-old Ahmed Al-Alaiwi Al-Issa as the suspect in the Boulder shooting. He is under arrest and facing murder charges. The motive is unclear. The ten victims ranged from 20 to 65, and Boulder Police Officer Eric Tally, 51, was among them.
Biden described Tally as “introducing an American hero” and offered his condolences to his family.
Biden said, “When he installed that badge yesterday morning, he did not know what he would bring today.” “He thought he would go home to his family and seven children. But when the moment to act came, the officer did not hesitate to carry out his duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in his efforts to save lives.”
Schumer pledges to vote on gun background checks
Biden’s pressure for urgent action on weapons came when the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun violence – which was organized before the Boulder was shot – and while gun control activists renewed their calls for the president to take action with tougher gun laws.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the Senate, now with the Democrats still slightly in control of the House, would “debate and address” gun violence. He pledged to bring in the bill that would require background checks on the ground.
“It seems we cannot end the grief of one tragedy before another,” Schumer said. “It is a reminder that we must confront a devastating reality in the United States: a relentless epidemic of gun violence stealing innocent lives on an alarming rate.”
However, passing any gun legislation could be a struggle for the Democrats, who would need 60 votes in the Senate to avoid potential disruption. Senate Republicans have criticized renewed Democratic efforts on gun legislation.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said, “Every time there’s shooting, we’re playing this hilarious theater where this committee meets and proposes a bunch of laws that won’t do anything to stop these murders.” He accused Democrats of wanting to “take down arms from law-abiding citizens,” and said that would make the crime worse.
K Candidate in the 2020 presidential campaignBiden regularly recounted how he successfully took on with the National Rifle Association during his political career.
He campaigned to demand background checks for all arms purchases, the removal of protections for gun manufacturers, the ban on the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and the creation of a program to buy back such weapons on the streets, among other reforms.
More:Lives “too short”: These are the 10 victims of a shooting in Boulder, Colorado
Former President Barack Obama mourned the families of the victims in a statement. He also called for action on arms control, saying, “It has been a long time for those with the capacity to fight the epidemic of firearms violence to do so.”
With Biden as Vice President, Obama pressed unsuccessfully for gun reform measures after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut that killed 20 people. And his efforts stalled amid the Republican-led resistance.
“It will take time to root out the discontent, racism and misogyny that feed so much of this foolish violence,” Obama said. “But we can make it difficult for those with hatred in their hearts to buy weapons of war. We can overcome cowardly political opposition and pressure from a gun lobby that opposes any restrictions on anyone’s ability to assemble an arsenal. We can, and we must.”
Connect with Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
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