Just hours after a Uvalde, Texas gunman shot and killed 21 people including 19 children, two teachers and his grandmother, President Joe Biden addressed the nation.
Biden first expressed his condolences to the parents of the lost victims. “Losing a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away,” he said
He immediately confronted what he believes to be the issue in America by asking the question, “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”
According to officials, Texas loosened gun laws over the past two years, passing permit-less carry in 2021. This particular law allows Texans to carry handguns in public without going through training or having to get permits. The law was signed into action by Gov. Greg Abbott. He believed that he, “signed freedom in the lone star state.”
America has seen approximately 900 incidents of gun violence on school grounds. As a leader, Joe Biden has witnessed the aftermath from a front-row seat. He stated, “I am sick and tired of it. We have to act.”
He admitted that he has seen a change in the number of shootings in previous years, stating that after the assault weapons ban was passed, the number of shootings went down.
25 years ago, Congress passed the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, AKA the “Assault Weapons Ban.” It outlawed the manufacture and sale for civilian use of semi-automatic weapons. It also banned magazines that could fire 10 rounds or more.
The bill read that in 10 years it would expire unless voted and renewed by congress. Due to the Republican-led House, the bill was never renewed.
According to Biden, “When the law expired, the number of shootings tripled.”
While articles on mental health issues have begun to surface regarding the shooter and many other shooters in the past, Biden is questioning why these problems rarely happen anywhere else in the world. He stated, “They have mental health issues, domestic disputes and people who are lost.”
He simply feels that as a nation we must gain the “Courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbyist. It is time to act.”
