President Biden demands that the recent killing sprees in the USA should have consequences. But all attempts to tighten gun laws have failed for years because of the Republicans in Congress. In an emotional speech, Biden urges Americans to remember this in the election.
"Enough, enough, enough. This time we really have to change something," said US President Joe Biden in a televised address from the White House. After a series of deadly gun attacks, he called for gun laws to be tightened and assault rifles banned. "How much more bloodshed are we willing to accept?" Biden asked in his emotional speech. "We cannot fail the American people again."
The Democrat called it "unscrupulous" that the Republicans in the US Senate blocked any tightening of the regulations. Before the congressional elections in November, he called on Americans to "put this issue at the center of their voting decisions".
Biden said if a ban on assault rifles is unenforceable in Congress, the minimum age for purchasing these weapons should be raised from 18 to 21. He also called for a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines. Checks of gun buyers should be strengthened. Laws to safely store guns and protect against potentially dangerous gun owners would need to be enacted. Manufacturers of firearms should be able to be held liable.
"It's time to act. For the children we've lost, for the children we can save, for the nation we love," Biden said. "This isn't about taking anyone's guns away," the president said. "I respect the culture, tradition and concerns of legitimate gun owners." However, like all rights, the Second Amendment to the Constitution on the right to own a gun is not absolute. "In the last two decades, more school-age children have been killed by guns than duty police officers and active-duty soldiers combined. Think about it."
Behind Biden burned 56 candles, which the White House said should represent victims of gun violence in all 56 states and territories of the United States. The shooting rampage at an elementary school in Texas last week has once again fueled the debate about tightening gun laws in the United States. For years, many Republicans have opposed stricter regulations, such as a ban on assault rifles. The US has long struggled with massive levels of gun violence.
