By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK – On Friday, in a statement from U.S. President Joe Biden on the horrific shooting incident at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on September 3, the president said: “After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass commonsense gun safety legislation.” In his statement, President Biden reiterated what he has said in previous years that there must be a “ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again.” He also said it “safe storage” of firearms must be a requirement while ending immunity for gun manufacturers and that universal background checks must be enacted and enforced. Both the Clinton and Obama administrations introduced these measure which were vetoed by Republicans at every turn. As Biden expressed: “Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me. It’s why I signed into law the Bipartisan Safter Communities Act.” He called it “the most meaningful gun safety bill in decades.”
The president said: “Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those who lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all the survivors whose lives are forever changed.” He said that no student or parent should have to fear sending their children to school and that “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.” President Biden said that the White House is “close coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local level” and expressed gratitude to the first responders who prevented the tragic event from becoming even more tragic. As the president reiterated – his administration announced dozens of gun safety executive actions as well as creating the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. He added: “These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic violence from ripping more families apart.” The president emphasized that “We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more.”
