High time to ban assault weapons: US President Biden amid rise in mass shootings
Washington (US), February 8: Following a rise in mass shootings, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the country needs more resources to reduce gun crime and that it is high time to ban assault weapons again.
Joe Biden said in his first major speech to a divided Congress after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. Biden said, "10 years ago the ban was law, mass shootings went down. After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled. Let's finish the job and ban assault weapons again."
He went on to say that the United States needs more resources to combat the country's current situation, as gun violence continues to rise.
"We need more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime, community intervention programs...All this can help prevent violence in the first place...Ban assault weapons once and for all. We did it before. I led the fight to ban them in 1994," Biden said.
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Notably, the United States has recently been prone to mass shootings and excessive gun violence, and citizens have repeatedly protested for stricter gun laws.
Furthermore, Biden emphasised America's "serious challenges" "around the world" and warned China that the US "will act to protect sovereignty if threatened" by China.
In his first major speech to a divided Congress, Biden stated, "If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. Let's be clear, winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world. In the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker."
The US President further addressed the Russia-Ukraine war and asserted that America will stand with Ukraine 'as long as it takes'.
According to the Pentagon, the US has pledged more than USD 29 billion since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022. On Friday, Biden unveiled the latest package worth more than USD 2.17 billion, which includes longer-range missiles for the first time.
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- ANI
