As California reeled from two deadly mass shootings in less than 48 hours, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to act quickly to ban assault weapons.
On Monday, a group of senators reintroduced a federal Assault Weapons Ban and legislation raising the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21.
“We recognize that the scourge of gun violence in America necessitates more aggressive action. “I urge both chambers of Congress once more to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, as well as take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe,” Biden said in a statement.
A suspect in the killing of seven people in a rural community in northern California was arrested Tuesday, just two days after a mass shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration near Los Angeles.
A law prohibiting the use of assault rifles expired in 2004, and Congress has repeatedly failed to renew it, despite the country’s repeated mass shootings.
Many Republicans oppose the ban, citing the constitutional right to bear arms.
