When asked about potential paths for gun regulation in the aftermath of the deadly school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden referred to an assault weapons ban Monday morning, ranting against possession of what he termed "high-caliber weapons."
On Sunday, the president and first lady paid a visit to Uvalde, where they met with first responders and consoled the relatives of the 19 students and two teachers slain in the Robb Elementary School shooting atrocity. He and Jill Biden visited the school and attended mass at a neighboring church, where protestors screamed "Do something," to which Biden replied, "We will."
President Joe Biden Pushes for Gun Compromise
Talking to reporters outside the White House after returning to Washington following a weekend that included a visit to the scene of last week's horrific massacre in Texas, Biden described a visit to a trauma center in New York, where physicians showed him X-rays of bullet wounds produced by various firearms, as per NBC News.
"They said a.22-caliber bullet would lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out - we might be able to retrieve it and save the life," Biden added. "A 9mm bullet removes the lung from the body."
Later in his speech, Biden seemed to rule out substantial executive action on weapons, adding, "I can't prescribe this stuff." I can continue to do what I've done, and whatever executive action I can take, I will. But I can't make a weapon illegal. I can't modify the background checks, you know. That's something I can't do."
Joe Biden's remarks against 9mm firearms are consistent with his views before entering the White House. At a 2019 event in Seattle, for example, then-candidate Biden questioned his audience, "Why should we let individuals carry military-style weapons, like handguns with 9mm ammunition and magazines that can store 10 or more rounds?" "
9mm pistols accounted for 56.8 percent of all handguns manufactured in the United States in 2019, according to Shooting Industry magazine. During the 2010s, this country manufactured more than 15.1 million 9mm firearms. Conservatives and gun rights activists are unlikely to support the idea of prohibiting or otherwise restricting such weapons.
That allegation has been frequently debunked by fact-checkers, most recently when Biden proposed new measures to combat the spread of so-called "ghost firearms," according to the New York Post.
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GOP Meets To Discuss Gun Regulation
After a decade of mainly fruitless efforts, a bipartisan group of senators met over the weekend to see if they could strike even a little agreement on gun regulation. This included lobbying states to enact "red flag" legislation to keep weapons away from people suffering from mental illnesses.
Biden stated that he had not discussed gun control with Republicans. There isn't nearly enough Republican support in Congress for stronger gun-control measures that are popular with the public, such as a fresh ban on assault-style weapons or universal background checks for gun purchases.
However, Democratic supporters remain optimistic that serious legislation will be passed. He claimed he didn't know where congressional discussions were, but "sensible Republicans" are realizing that "we can't keep repeating ourselves."
Afterward, the president and his wife Jill Biden were joined at Arlington National Cemetery by Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
President Joe Biden saluted as taps sounded after laying a wreath of multicolored flowers wrapped in red, white, and blue ribbon in front of the tomb beneath a cloudless sky in late May heat.
"Memorial Day is always a day where sadness and pride are blended," he remarked, honoring slain service people. We are free now because they were brave."
However, President Joe Biden stated that the country's democratic experiment was still under attack, both at home and abroad, in the shape of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He referred to preserving democracy as "the mission of our time," The National News reported.
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