A day after a shooting incident in Georgia in the United States that left four people dead, US President Joe Biden has called for a complete ban on assault weapons.
Speaking at an event on Thursday, President Biden said, “I’d like to say a few words about the school shootings that happened yesterday. As a nation, we cannot continue to accept the carnage of gun violence. I’m a gun owner. I believe strongly in the amendment. We need more than thoughts and prayers,” CNN quoted the president as saying.
Urging the US Congress to take tougher measures on gun control in the US, he told Republican lawmakers that some of its leaders must “finally say enough is enough”, adding “we have to do something together. Let’s ban assault weapons.”
Mr. Biden added, “I realize I’m in a rural area, like the rural parts of my state, where there are guns — we all have them and it’s not popular to talk about it, but the truth is there’s a difference between rational and irrational.”
He acknowledged that the decision “will not bring those children back.” However, it will “help save lives if we do the things we’re talking about.” He added, “We can do this if we do it together … and I really think we can.”
Joe Biden’s appeal
Joe Biden is calling for a complete ban on assault weapons across the US. He has been demanding this ban for a long time, but Republican leaders in Congress have blocked his demand.
According to a CNN report, Mr Biden also called for proper background checks, ending exemptions for gun manufacturers, and holding parents accountable who allow their children to bear arms.
school shooting in georgia
At least four people, including two students, were killed and nine others injured in a shooting by another student at the same high school in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday.
The suspected gunman has been captured and is currently in custody. He has been identified as 14-year-old Colt Cray, a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about an hour’s drive from the state capital, Atlanta.
Those killed included two students and two teachers. Law enforcement agencies are still investigating the shooting and the motive behind it.
America’s gun violence problem
The Georgia school shooting is the latest in dozens of shootings in the U.S. in recent years, including deadly incidents in Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, Newtown and Uvalde, Texas.
There have been at least 385 mass shootings in the US so far in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, considers mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people are shot. That translates to more than 1.5 mass shootings per day on average.
