US President Joe Biden delivered an address to the nation on Thursday night addressing the latest wave of mass shootings, attempting to increase pressure on Congress to pass tougher gun measures after the failure of previous efforts in the wake of other killings.
He called for a “ban” on the sale of assault rifles to individuals and stipulated that the refusal of Republican senators to strengthen the framework for weapons is “inadmissible”.
“How much more carnage are we willing to accept? “Questioned, moved, the American president, hammering that at least the age limit for buying such weapons, currently set at 18, should be raised to 21.
The speech follows last week’s shooting in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two female teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and another attack Wednesday in Tulsa, Utah. Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and took his own life at a health center.
And these tragedies came after the May 14 assault in Buffalo, New York, where an 18-year-old white boy wearing military gear and broadcasting his actions live on the networks opened fire with a rifle. in a supermarket in a predominantly African-American neighborhood, killing 10 people and injuring three others in what authorities described as “racially motivated violent extremism.”
Mr Biden has used national addresses in the past to address the coronavirus pandemic and the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. But the president has used those speeches sparingly during his nearly 18 months in office, especially those delivered in the evening.
Earlier Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the shooting in Oklahoma, saying, “We hold all the people of Tulsa in our hearts, but we also reaffirm our commitment to pass common sense laws on the gun safety. »
“No more excuses. Thoughts and prayers are important, but not enough, Ms Harris said. We need Congress to act. »
With Agence France-Presse