Biden releases new gun control statement after Sacramento shooting Joe Biden. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)
President Joe Biden issued a statement late Sunday calling for more gun control hours after a shooting in Sacramento, Calif., that left six people dead and 12 others injured.
“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence. In a single act in Sacramento, six individuals left dead and at least a dozen more injured. Families forever changed. Survivors left to heal wounds both visible and invisible,” Biden’s statement began.
“I want to thank the first responders in Sacramento, and all those across the United States, who act every day to save lives. We know these lives were not the only lives impacted by gun violence last night. And we equally mourn for those victims and families who do not make national headlines,” he continued.
“But we must do more than mourn; we must act,” he added. “That is why my Administration has taken historic executive action to implement my comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy — from standing up gun trafficking strike forces to helping cities across the country expand community violence interventions and hire more police officers for community policing.”
Biden then called on Congress to pass gun control legislation that includes a ban on ghost guns, requiring “universal” background checks for all gun sales – including private transfers, banning “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” and repealing gun manufacturers’ “immunity from liability.”
“Pass my budget proposal, which would give cities more of the funding they need to fund the police and fund the crime prevention and intervention strategies that can make our cities safer,” Biden’s statement concluded. “These are just a few of the steps Congress urgently needs to take to save lives.”
Just two weeks ago, a $1.5 trillion spending bill passed by the House included gun control measures described as “law enforcement tools to enhance public safety.”
Beginning in Sec. 1101 of the legislation, the “NICS Denial Notification Act of 2022” adds a new provision entitled “Reporting of background check denials to State authorities,” which requires local law enforcement authorities to be notified if the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) denies a firearm transfer.
The provision, buried in the more than 2,700-page bill, comes after Biden called for more gun control during his first State of the Union Address in March. During his speech, the president once again asserted that Second Amendment rights exist for hunting purposes only.
“Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that hold up to 100 rounds. You think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests?” he said.
