President Biden addressed the horrific shooting in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, urging Congress to pass gun control restrictions in the wake of the tragedy.
“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” the president began in a statement issued Sunday night. “In a single act in Sacramento, six individuals left dead and at least a dozen more injured. Families forever changed. Survivors left to heal wounds both visible and invisible.”
“I want to thank the first responders in Sacramento, and all those across the United States, who act every day to save lives,” Biden added. “We know these lives were not the only lives impacted by gun violence last night. And we equally mourn for those victims and families who do not make national headlines.”
Then the president turned toward politics.
“But we must do more than mourn; we must act,” Biden said. “That is why my Administration has taken historic executive action to implement my comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy — from standing up gun trafficking strike forces to helping cities across the country expand community violence interventions and hire more police officers for community policing.”
Biden urged Congress to pass gun control legislation.
“We also continue to call on Congress to act,” he said. “Ban ghost guns. Require background checks for all gun sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. Pass my budget proposal, which would give cities more of the funding they need to fund the police and fund the crime prevention and intervention strategies that can make our cities safer. These are just a few of the steps Congress urgently needs to take to save lives.”
Six people had been fatally shot and another dozen were injured when multiple shooters opened fire in downtown Sacramento as people flooded out of bars and restaurants around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, officials said. No suspects had been taken into custody. It remains unclear whether any of the legislative moves Biden championed would have addressed this particular shooting.
Story continues at: Shooting
