"Enough, enough," shouted US President Joe Biden repeatedly, during an impassioned address to the nation, imploring Congress to take action against gun violence, after mass murders - which he said have turned schools and other everyday places into "killing fields". .
If lawmakers do not react, Biden warned, voters should turn their anger into a central issue in the November elections, which are held halfway through Biden's term, reports N1.
In an address from the White House, Biden acknowledged that he faces enormous political resistance as he tries to increase pressure on Congress to pass stricter gun restrictions, as similar efforts have failed after previous attacks.
Biden again called for a renewal of the ban on the sale of semiautomatic and automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines — and said that if Congress won't accept all of his proposals, it must at least find a compromise, such as preventing those with mental health problems from come into possession of weapons or raising the age limit for purchasing semi-automatic and automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years.
"How much more carnage are we willing to accept," Biden asked after last week's massacre by an 18-year-old who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Juvalde, Texas, and another attack Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and himself in a medical office.
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29 May 2022
An investigation has been launched into the actions of the police during the attack on the school
America has been rocked by a series of mass shootings in recent weeks - in a store in Buffalo, New York, an elementary school in Texas and a clinical center in Oklahoma, Reuters reports.
"This time we have to take our time and do something," Biden said, calling out the Senate, which needs 10 Republican votes to pass a bill.
"I know how hard it is, but I will never give up. And if Congress does not act, I believe that this time most Americans will not give up either," added Biden.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre announced that Biden will again ask Congress to take action to combat the "epidemic" of gun violence.
"He's encouraged by what we're seeing in Congress," Jean-Pierre said, referring to current bipartisan talks.
"Thoughts and prayers are important, but they are not enough. Congress needs to act," said US Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally before Biden's address.
Gun control activists are asking Biden to take stronger action on his own to curb gun violence, but the White House sees it as Congress's responsibility to pass legislation that would have a greater impact.
A House committee is working on a bill to tighten the nation's gun laws, but it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.
The goal of Biden's speech is to put additional pressure on members of Congress to adopt adequate measures and to focus voters' attention on the issue.
A majority of American voters, both Republicans and Democrats, support tougher gun control laws, but Republicans in Congress and some moderate Democrats have blocked passage of those proposals for years.
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