President Joe Biden called for gun control during an address to the nation on Thursday about the ongoing problem of mass shootings in the U.S.
Biden called for banning assault firearms and large capacity magazines, or alternatively, for increasing the age to buy those guns to 21-years-old. He specifically called for reimposing a ban that was approved in 1994, but which eventually expired a decade later.
The president said that “the Second Amendment, like all other rights, is not absolute.”
Biden said that the issue is not about eliminating people’s rights, but rather about protecting people.
The Second Amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The president also called for measures such as “national red flag laws” and “safe storage laws.” He also expressed support for expanding background checks.
Last week, 19 kids and two teachers were killed by a shooter who carried out an attack at a school in Uvalde, Texas. Earlier in May, 10 people were killed by a shooter who opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York — the suspect in that case pleaded not guilty regarding a 25-count indictment, the individual’s attorney noted on Thursday, according to CNN.
Democrats have been calling for gun control, claiming that it will help address the issue of mass shootings, and some lawmakers have called for abolishing the filibuster.
“Enough is enough. We must abolish the filibuster and pass gun safety legislation NOW. No one in America needs an AR-15. How many more children, mothers and fathers need to be murdered in cold blood before the Senate has the guts to ban assault weapons and take on the NRA?” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted last week.
During a House Judiciary Committee markup of legislation on Thursday, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California questioned whether Republicans had shown up for murderers or for children.