Image Source: Washington Times
On Monday, President Joe Biden made a statement addressing the gun violence rampant across the country, saying it was turning America into “killing fields” as he marked the passage of the first significant federal gun safety legislation in over three decades.
The gun safety bill Joe Biden signed into law represents an important start, but he acknowledged that more is needed to be done to alleviate the alarming rate of shootings.
“Now’s the time to galvanize this movement because that’s our duty to the people of the nation. That’s what we owe those families in Buffalo, where a grocery store became a killing field. That’s what we owe those families in Uvalde, where an elementary school became a killing field. That’s what we owe those families in Highland Park, where on July Fourth, a parade became a killing field,” the President started.
“That’s what we owe all those families represented here today and all over this country the past many years across our schools, places of worship, workplaces, stores, music festivals, nightclubs, and so many other everyday places that have turned into killing fields.”
Read also: Highland Park Shooting: More Details Released Following the Independence Day Shooting
Joe Biden hosted families of shooting victims from the Columbine to Highland Park at a White House event where they celebrated the federal gun safety legislation signed in June.
The latest law is the most significant to address gun violence since the assault weapon ban 28 years ago expired in 2004.
The President also acknowledged that the law falls short of what he and his party advocated for to stop the number of shootings in the country.
“It will not save every life from the epidemic of gun violence, but if this law had been in place years ago, even this last year, lives would have been saved,” said Biden. “It matters. It matters. But it’s not enough and we all know that.”
During his speech, Biden was interrupted by Manuel Oliver, whose son was killed in 2018 during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Read also: President Joe Biden Weighs in on July 4th Highland Park Shooting
Since then, Oliver has been critical of the administration’s action on gun violence, saying the new gun safety law doesn’t go far enough.
During the event, the President shared that he spent so much time with families of shooting victims through the years that he has become “personal friends” with them.
Joe Biden also thanked the families for their advocacy to enforce stricter gun measures. He praised them for their activism in the face of loss and for making a difference.
“I especially want to thank the families that Jill and I have (met), many of whom we sat with for hours on end, across the country,” he said. “There’s so many we’ve gotten to know who’ve lost their soul to the epidemic of gun violence. They’ve lost their child, their husband, their wife.”
“Nothing is going to fill that void in their hearts. But they led the way so other families will not have the experience and the pain and trauma they’ve had to live through.”
The bill, titled “The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” was released by Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
The bill was created in response to mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
References:
Biden says gun violence has turned America’s communities into ‘killing fields’
Statement from President Biden on the Shooting in Highland Park, Illinois
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