president of the united states, Joe Biden on Thursday called for the nation to ban offensive weapons and high-capacity chargers.As the country continues to be traumatized by the recent massacre of 19 children in Uvalde, Texas, and legislators on both sides debate firearms control. “We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. And, If we can’t ban assault weapons, we should raise the age to buy them from 18 to 21.Biden said in an interception during prime time at 19:30 local time (23:30 GMT).
In his speech, in which Biden repeatedly repeated “enough is enough” in a speech of about 20 minutes, Uvalde made a series of requests to lawmakers to take concrete measures to control arms in the country after the recent shooting in Buffalo (New USA). York) and Tulsa (Oklahoma). Specifically, he also wanted background checks have been strengthened Enforcement of the law to ensure the safe storage of weapons and lifting the immunity that protects weapons manufacturers. In a speech that got emotional at times, he said, “How many massacres are we ready to accept? How many more innocent American lives do we have to say enough is enough?” said.
According to Biden, survivors of the massacres have a message for politicians: “Do something, do something, for God’s sake, do something.because nothing was done after Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas (…), referring to the major massacres that have hit the country in recent years.
Standing at the end of the red carpet and an aisle of 56 candles lit to represent the shooting victims of US states and territories, Biden insisted that the second amendment to the US Constitution was “like everyone else” regarding the right to have a gun. other rights are not absolute.” “This is not about taking anyone’s rights. It’s about protecting children, protecting families. It’s about protecting whole communities. It’s about protecting our freedom to go to school, to go to the grocery store, to church,” Biden said.
His speech coincides with talks since last week that nine Republican and Democratic senators have attended to try to agree on firearms control measures that could garner the support of legislators from both parties. The measures will be much more modest than the offensive weapons ban advocated by most Democrats, including Biden, and strengthen safety in schools and fund mental health programs, both requirements of the Republicans. They would also seek to expand background checks for purchasing firearms and give incentives to states to pass laws that allow authorities to confiscate weapons from people deemed dangerous.
Exactly this Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee – the Lower House of Congress – is discussing a series of gun control measures under the heading of the Protection of Our Children Act. The measures aim to impose a limit of 10 rounds per magazine, raise the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21, and provide incentives for states to pass gun confiscation laws. They are also trying to limit the use of “ghost guns” whose parts can be purchased online and then assembled at home, making them untraceable as they have no serial numbers.
The debate over the measure has seen most Republicans condemn any attempt to limit Americans’ ability to buy guns, often repeating the typical conservative message that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
The entire House of Representatives, where the Democrats hold a majority, is scheduled to discuss this package of measures next week.