President Joe Biden said he would put the spotlight on those blocking the passage of new gun laws, as he expressed frustration with the lack of legislative progress on the issue, a day after a mass shooting at a grade school in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden said he would put the spotlight on those blocking the passage of new gun laws, as he expressed frustration with the lack of legislative progress on the issue, a day after a mass shooting at a grade school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Biden said he intended to “expose those people” who were standing in the way of legislation. “This is ridiculous,” he added speaking to reporters as he left North Carolina. “It’s all about big money.”
The president said he had spoken to the police chief in Nashville and officers who responded to the shooting but had not yet spoken to the families of the victims.
“I’m working on that now,” he said. “I spoke to the police chief. I spoke to the two officers who went in and saved the lives. I’ve spoken to everyone but the family and I haven’t done that yet.”
An assailant shot and killed three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville on Monday. Police said the suspect, a 28-year old Nashville resident, who was believed to be a former student at the Covenant School, had two assualt-type rifles and at least one pistol.
Biden has repeatedly urged lawmakers after mass shootings to ban assault weapons and toughen background checks on gun purchasers. Last year, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, lawmakers passed the first nationwide gun-control legislation in 30 years, improving the national background-check system for gun purchasers under 21, and closing the so-called boyfriend loophole that allowed dating partners convicted of domestic abuse to buy guns.
But further gun restrictions are unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled House.
Biden discussed the mass shooting earlier at an event to tout semiconductor subsidies in Durham, North Carolina, again urging lawmakers to pass a ban on assault weapons.
“Don’t tell me we can’t do more together. So I again call on Congress to pass the assault weapons ban. Pass it. It should not be a partisan issue,” he added.
“I want you to know who isn’t doing it, who isn’t helping, to put pressure on them.”
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