President Joe Biden called on Congress to move forward on gun-reform legislation, including a ban on assault weapons, in a bid to help prevent another mass shooting in the U.S.
“I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House.
“We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now.”
Biden’s statement marked the three-year anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which a gunman killed 14 students and three educators.
The Parkland families “have showed us how we can turn our grief into purpose — to march, organize, and build a strong, inclusive, and durable movement for change,” Biden said. “We can do better. And we will."
