President Biden on Sunday called for tougher gun laws on the anniversary of the Parkland school massacre that killed 17, insisting that “the time to act is now.”
“Within seconds, the lives of dozens of families and the lives of an American community were forever changed,” Biden said in a statement.
He urged Congress to propose and pass arms reform legislation, including requiring background checks on all arms sales and banning assault weapons.
“We owe it to all who have lost and to all who remain behind to grieve to change something. The time to act is now, ”said Biden, who spends the weekend at Camp David.
Biden’s plea comes three years after a former college student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire with an AR-15 rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The gunfire killed 14 students and three staffers, while 17 others were injured.
“In these three years, the Parkland families have taught us all something profound,” said the president.
“Time and again, they have shown us how to turn our grief into purpose: to march, organize and build a strong, inclusive and sustainable movement for change.”
In addition to demanding background checks and a ban on assault weapons, Biden also urged lawmakers to ban high-capacity magazines and hold gun manufacturers accountable for the role their weapons play in violence.
This government will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our gun violence epidemic and make our schools and communities safer, ”said the president.
Parents of the victims and those injured in the massacre are divided on gun control.
Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina was killed in the shooting, responded to Biden in a tweet Sunday.
“Mr. President, thank you for the memory of the loved ones taken from us three years ago,” he wrote. “Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honoring her life does not infringe the rights of law-abiding citizens. “
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was also murdered, vowed on Sunday to hold the new government accountable in passing gun laws.
“I will work with our new President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to make sure we do everything we can to stop this violence,” he wrote on Twitter
“If it doesn’t, then you and I will continue to work together to choose new people to do this. We have worked hard to elect the current members, and I expect this will happen or we will hold them to account. “
With pole wires