Michael Hernandez
17 June 2023•Update: 17 June 2023
WASHINGTON
US President Joe Biden issued an impassioned plea for greater control Friday, saying mass shootings occur "every damn day in America."
Biden pointed to gun violence that occurs beyond the headlines. In "areas that are poor, mostly minority, there's a mass shooting that never reaches the crescendo that it reaches other places every single day," he said while addressing the National Safer Communities Summit in the state of Connecticut.
Much of the president's remarks appear to be borne out by data from the Gun Violence Archive, an independent monitor that tracks gun-related violence in the US. It tracked 296 mass shootings so far with nearly half the year outstanding.
Biden told the gathering of gun control advocates that an uphill battle lies ahead, but vowed to impose an assault rifle ban, and end legal protections preventing gun makers from being held liable for crimes committed using their wares.
"We will beat the gun industry. We will beat the big money that sits behind them, and the politicians that refuse to stand up and act. It won't be easy," he said. "I have no illusions how fiercely they'll fight back but I also have no illusions about the people in this room. Look at what you've already done."
Biden was addressing the summit on the one-year anniversary of his landmark gun control legislation, which incentivized states to adopt what are known as "red flag" laws, which make it easier to take guns out of the hands of individuals deemed to be a risk to themselves or others, and strengthened background checks nationwide.
He said the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act already represents "the most meaningful gun safety law in 30 years," pointing to it as a sign that more can be done.
"We did overcome an unrelenting opposition from the gun lobby to gun manufacturers and so many politicians who hide behind the belief that they'll never have to pay a price for their inaction when they oppose common sense gun legislation, and we beat them," he said.
