President Biden on Saturday marked the 12th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut with a new proposal for Congress to take action on gun reform legislation.
Mr. Biden press release He touted his administration's efforts to combat gun violence, but insisted there was more work to be done, especially as his presidency enters its final stages.
“Jill and I continue to grieve this unimaginable loss and continue to pray for the families of the victims and those traumatized by this senseless violence,” he wrote. “Many people affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are turning that pain into purpose.”
“The legacy of this tragedy is great loss, but also hope,” he added. “Twelve years ago, mothers sitting on their kitchen counters took to the internet to voice their outrage and organize for common sense gun safety legislation.”
The President also thanked the families of those killed by gun violence and their supporters who have taken a stand, established foundations to carry on the memories of their loved ones, and vowed to hold the gun industry accountable. expressed.
“With the power of this courageous movement at our side, we have made historic progress in reducing gun violence over the past four years,” Biden said, adding that he is pushing gun safety laws at the federal and state level. He outlined the administration's gun reform efforts, including: Creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“Four years under my administration, murders are down, crime is down, mass shootings are down. This progress is not a coincidence,” he continued. “Still, more needs to be done.”
“Congress has a duty to 'do something' to protect our children and communities from this scourge of gun violence,” the president said. “The United States is the only country experiencing this epidemic, and there are common-sense policies that the majority of Americans agree with and that Congress can easily act on.”
The push comes after Congress passed a bipartisan gun safety bill just two years ago and Biden signed it into law in June 2022. The legislation would strengthen background checks on gun buyers between the ages of 18 and 21 and make it a federal crime to acquire firearms through straw purchases or trafficking. and clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearms dealer.
Among his latest proposals, he cited universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage requirements and a ban on assault weapons like those used in the Sandy Hook shooting as first steps.
The remarks came nearly three months after Biden signed an executive order focused on preventing gun violence. Under the order, the administration aimed to crack down on 3D-printed firearms, including the ghost gun used in the recent shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and improve active shooter training in schools across the country.
“I look forward to continued progress on these priorities,” Biden concluded in his statement.
More than a decade after the massacre that killed 20 students and six educators in Newtown, Conn., many of the survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting graduated earlier this year.
