“It’s time to act,” Biden added. “We will act.”
Addressing the killings at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, the third-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, the president called out firearm manufacturers. He labeled the industry “the only major corporate entity” that is legally shielded from mass deaths, and called for a law that would end such immunity.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called for more gun regulations on Wednesday. In a written statement, Harris acknowledged Congress’ past action for gun control but encouraged members of Congress and state legislatures “to meet this heartbreaking moment not just with words, but with action.”
Congress last year passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is considered to be Congress’ most significant response to mass shootings in three decades. The law provides money to states looking to implement so-called red flag laws, which allow firearms to be temporarily taken away from individuals deemed threats to themselves and others.
No federal gun measure has moved in Congress since then. A full month after the bipartisan gun law passed both chambers, House Democrats voted in July to reinstate the assault rifle ban. The bill passed by a slim margin of four votes but soon stalled in the evenly divided Senate.
The Biden administration’s push for more stricter laws is already facing fierce opposition from GOP lawmakers. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) submitted in recent weeks separate gun bills that would partially repeal the bipartisan law and ban state and federal gun registries.
