President Biden urged Republican lawmakers in Congress “to come to the table” to tighten gun laws after a spate of gun violence leading up to Independence Day.
Mr. Biden pushed for a renewal of the country’s ban on assault weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines, requiring safe storage of firearms, putting an end to gun manufacturers’ immunity to liability, and to implement universal background checks.
Assault weapons were banned in the U.S. from 1994 to 2004 under the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
“Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives and, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence,” Mr. Biden said in a Tuesday statement.
Mr. Biden‘s remarks come after Philadelphia police arrested a suspect in Monday night’s mass shooting.
Police arrested Kimbrady Carricker, 40, for a shooting spree in the Kingsessing neighborhood in Southwest Philadelphia in which five people were killed and two children injured.
The Associated Press reported that Mr. Carricker had a bulletproof vest, “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines and a handgun.
About four hours later, three people were killed and eight injured in a mass shooting at a festival in Fort Worth, law enforcement authorities in Texas said.
That came after a shooting during a weekend block party in Baltimore in which two people were killed and 28 others wounded. More than half of the victims were minors, officials said.
Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the Independence Day mass shooting outside Chicago. Police say Eugene Robert Crimo III opened fire on a parade in the suburb of Highland Park, killing seven people and injuring 48. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Biden commended actions taken by state and local officials, along with gun violence survivors, that led to a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in Illinois.
With the state’s passage of the legislation in January, Illinois became the ninth state to enact an assault weapon ban.
The Supreme Court declined requests from gun rights groups to block the law in May.
“Their achievement will save lives,” Mr. Biden said. “But it will not erase their grief. It will not bring back the seven Americans killed in Highland Park or heal the injuries and trauma that scores of others will continue to carry.”
Mr. Biden added that recent mass shootings show that more needs to be done across the country to “address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.”
“I urge other states to follow Illinois’ lead, and continue to call upon Republican lawmakers in Congress to come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reforms that the American people support,” Mr. Biden said.
• This article is based in part on wire-service reports.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washigtontimes.com.
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