“Enough is enough,” US President Joe Biden said repeatedly on Thursday night, as he delivered an impassioned address to the nation urging Congress to Take action against gun violence after mass shootings He said schools, supermarkets and other everyday places have been turned into “murder zones”.
If legislators fail to act, he warned, voters should use their “angry” to turn it into a central issue in November’s midterm elections.
Speaking at the White House, Biden acknowledged harsh political constraints as he sought to pressure Congress to pass strict gun limits after such efforts had failed after previous attacks.
He made repeated calls to reinstate the ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines; And said that if Congress doesn’t accept all of his proposals, it would at least have to find agreements like raising the age of people with mental health issues to possess firearms or purchase assault-style weapons from 18 to 21.
“How much more genocide are we willing to accept,” Biden said last week after an 18-year-old gunman shot him. 19 students and two teachers murdered in primary school Uvalde, Texas, and . In Another attack on Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and himself in a medical office. “Don’t tell me that getting older won’t make any difference,” he said.
came to a close on the heels of the most recent shoot May 14 attack in Buffalo, New YorkWhere a white 18-year-old wearing military gear and with a helmet camera live-streamed opened fire at a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood, killing 10 people and injuring three others, which officials described as ” Racially motivated violent extremism”. ,
“This time we have to take the time to do something,” Biden said while convening the Senate, where 10 Republican votes would be needed to pass the law.
For all the obsession with Biden’s address, and for all his big questions and small fallback options, any major action by Congress is still a long shot.
“I know how hard it is, but I will never give up, and if Congress fails, I am confident that this time the majority of the American people will not give up either,” he said. “I am sure most of you will act to change your displeasure to make this issue the center of your vote.”
Adding a stark perspective to young people’s deaths, he notes that Centers for Disease Control data show that “guns are the number one killer of children in the United States” prior to car accidents.
“Over the past two decades, more school-age children have been killed by guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined,” he said.
A priest comforts people outside the Sergeant Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students were taken from Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, after a shooting. (Reuters)
Aware of frequent criticism from gun-rights advocates, Biden insisted that his appeal was not about “discrediting gun owners” or “taking away someone’s guns.” “We must treat responsible gun owners as an example of how every gun owner should behave,” Biden said. “It’s not about taking away someone’s rights, it’s about protecting children, it’s about protecting families.”
He called on Congress to end “abusive” protections for gun manufacturers that severely limit their liability on how they use firearms, comparing it to the tobacco industry, which has The role of products has repeatedly faced litigation. cancer and other diseases.
“Imagine where we would be today if the tobacco industry had avoided being sued,” Biden said.
All major broadcast networks broke from regular programming to air Biden’s comments at 7.30 p.m. EDT, before the primetime show began.
Biden has given keynote speeches on coronavirus Pandemic and the chaotic withdrawal of U forces from Afghanistan. But the President has rarely used such addresses during his nearly 18 months in office, especially during the evening hours.
Earlier Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris Speaking of the Oklahoma shooting, he said, “We keep all the people of Tulsa at our heart, but we also reaffirm our commitment to passing commonsense gun safety laws.” “No more excuses. Thoughts and prayers are important, but not enough,” Harris said. “We need Congress to act.”
Visiting Uvalde on Sunday, Biden condoled privately for more than three hours with the families of the victims. faced with chants of “do something” as he left the church service, The president vowed: “We will.”
US President Joe Biden and First Lady jill biden Pay his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School on May 29, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas, USA. (Reuters)
In his address, he called for a woman at the Uvalde Church to pass a note expressing the loss of her grandson, calling on people to come together and act.
His Thursday night address coincided with bipartisan talks that are intensifying between a core group of senators discussing minor gun policy changes. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said the group is “progressing rapidly,” and Biden has spoken to Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who is leading his party’s efforts on the issue.
Democrats are hoping Biden’s remarks encourage bipartisan Senate talks and pressure Republicans to strike a deal. Jean-Pierre said Biden is “encouraged” by congressional talks, but the president wants to give lawmakers “some space” to talk.
Private discussions in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, are not expected to produce the type of sweeping reforms being considered by the Democratic-led House, which approved detailed background check legislation. And the next turn will be a ban on assault weapons.
But even a House package debated Thursday and approved by a committee, 25-19 that is less comprehensive but includes a provision to raise the age required to purchase semi-automatic firearms to 21 Yes, there is less chance in the Senate.
Instead, bipartisan senators are likely to come up with a more incremental package that would increase federal funding to support state gun safety efforts, along with incentives to boost school safety and mental health resources. The package may also encourage “red flag laws” to keep firearms away from people who will cause harm.
While the Senate approved a modest measure to encourage compliance with background checks after the 2017 church mass shooting in Texas and one in Parkland, Florida the following year, none after the devastating massacre of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The elder law did not approve the chamber. in 2012.