On the third anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, President Joe Biden summoned Congress passing stricter gun laws, including banning assault weapons. In a White House statement on Sunday, Mr. Biden asked Congress to pass laws requiring background checks on all arms sales, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for arms manufacturers.
“Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn all those who have lost loved ones through gun violence,” said Mr Biden.
The White House has not given more details about Mr. Biden’s plan.
On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. Since then, many of the students and community members have become passionate crusaders for tougher gun laws. The shooter is still awaiting trial.
Their organization, March for Our Lives, has appointed Mr. Biden to appoint a revolver tsar who would serve in a position adjacent to the cabinet. According to a statement sent to CNN in December, the group asked that a national director of Gun Violence Prevention “reflect the notion that gun violence is a public health crisis and disproportionately affects our most vulnerable populations.”
Mr. Biden promised on the campaign trail to take action against weapons within his first 100 days in office. Last week, gun control groups Everytown for gun safety said mothers demand action and students demand action that they met with members of the Biden government. Both Everytown and Moms Demand said they have released roadmaps for how the Biden government can take action against gun violence.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland shooting, tweeted on Feb. 12 that he was meeting with Susan Rice, Biden’s domestic policy adviser.
“Thank you @ AmbRice46 for your extended time yesterday. President @JoeBiden Told me personally about his commitment to lead the gun safety issue and that commitment was reinforced in our conversation yesterday. I’m looking forward to working with the @White House on this,” Guttenberg wrote
Tim Perry contributed to this report.