Joe Biden Doubles Down on Push To Ban Assault Weapons as USA Passes 600 Mass Shootings Again
When pressed about the "scourge" of gun violence, President Joe Biden always brings up so-called assault rifles.
The United States has heard it countless times, most recently this week after the shootings in Virginia and Colorado. With this, the president wants to outlaw high-powered weapons that can kill many people quickly.
"The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick," Biden said on Thanksgiving Day. "I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons."
After last week's tragic murder at a gay night bar in Colorado Springs, he released a statement asking, "When will we decide we've had enough? ... We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America's streets."
According to the Associated Press, long semi-automatic guns like the AR-15 can fire 30 bullets in rapid succession. They are what Biden and other politicians mean when they talk about "assault weapons."
New York City police officers, on the other hand, use handguns with around half the rate of fire.
A ban on firearms is highly improbable in today's deeply divided Congress.
Nonetheless, since there have been no clear electoral consequences, Biden and the Democrats have become more confident in their push for stronger gun laws.
Pres. Joe Biden's Assault Weapon Ban Will Become Harder To Pass Next Year
When Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next year, the president's efforts to outlaw assault weapons will face more significant challenges.
The Democratic-controlled House approved a ban on assault rifles in July, but it was defeated in the Senate.
The legislature last enacted a prohibition on assault weapons in 1994, The Guardian noted.
According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, the frequency of fatalities from mass shootings decreased while the law was in force before it was repealed in 2004.
Following the attack on their establishment, Biden called Nic Grzecka and Matthew Haynes, the Colorado Springs nightclub Club Q proprietors, on Thursday to express his sympathies and praise them for their contributions to the neighborhood, according to the White House.
The Number of USA Mass Shootings Is Increasing
The Gun Violence Archive has recorded at least 610 USA mass shootings for the third consecutive year this year. According to the non-profit, any incident of gun violence in which four or more people are shot or killed (not including the perpetrator) is considered a mass shooting.
From 610 in 2020, the Gun Violence Archive has 690 mass shootings documented for 2021.
Democrats have been vocal about the need for stricter gun legislation since the recent attacks, per Al Jazeera.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Biden signed into law in June, has been lauded as "the first significant piece of gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years."
A total of $750 million was allocated to states to fund the implementation of "red-flag laws" and other policies that would allow judges to temporarily or permanently remove firearms from people who have been determined to be a danger to themselves and others.
In addition, those with a domestic violence conviction were barred from purchasing firearms for five years, and buyers under the age of 21 were subject to background checks.
House Democrats followed up in July with the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, which "makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon." It was like the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was passed in 1994 but expired in 2004.
Despite having passed the House, the bill was stalled in the Senate because it would have taken 60 votes to end a filibuster and put the ban to a vote.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
Watch: Biden reiterates call for assault weapons ban - From ABC News
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