Biden Marks Four-Year Anniversary of Parkland Shooting; Calls for End to Gun Violence 

Second Amendment

[ad_1]

U.S. President Joe Biden Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida by calling on the country to uphold the “solemn obligation” to end gun violence.

“On this difficult day, we mourn with the Parkland families whose lives were upended in an instant; who had to bury a piece of their soul deep in the earth,” Biden said in a statement. “We pray too for those still grappling with wounds both visible and invisible.”

On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people in the deadliest high school shooting to date. Fourteen of those killed were students, the others, educators. The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was 19 years old at the time and a former student at the school.

Cruz pleaded guilty to the shootings last October. His sentencing trial is set to begin later this year. Jurors will decide whether he spends the rest of his life in prison or gets the death penalty.

The shooting stirred a movement, March for Our Lives, started by students advocating for stricter gun laws.

“Out of the heartbreak of Parkland a new generation of Americans all across the country marched for our lives and towards a better, safer America for us all,” Biden said, “Together, this extraordinary movement is making sure that the voices of victims and survivors and responsible gun owners are louder than the voices of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association.”

The NRA is America’s biggest gun rights lobby. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affirms the right to bear arms. In the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, Florida, a Republican-led state, imposed a three-day waiting period to purchase firearms and raised the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21. The NRA argued the state law is unconstitutional.

Since the Parkland incident, school shootings have continued. Between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, there were 136 instances of gunfire at schools, according to gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

Biden outlined steps that his administration is following to counteract this rise, including “curbing the proliferation of ‘ghost’ guns,” unregistered firearms that can be purchased without a background check.

He called on Congress to take action saying, “Congress must do much more — beginning with requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers.”

Multiple bills to scrutinize gun buyers and restrict purchases of the deadliest weapons have been put forward in the U.S. Congress over the last decade. None became law.

Most Democratic Party lawmakers back tighter gun regulations while most Republicans oppose them, citing the Second Amendment.

[ad_2]

Source link

Articles You May Like

Supreme Court Asked To Take Up Case Of Man Prosecuted For Lying About Marijuana Use While Buying Guns
Across the aisle: shootings, safety and the Second Amendment
Feds charge NY Attorney General Letitia James with mortgage fraud
Florida lawmaker proposes lowering minimum age for rifle purchases from 21 to 18
Florida lawmaker moves to lower gun purchase age as Supreme Court weighs case

20 Comments

  1. 973368 73570A domain name is an identification label which defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control within the Internet. Domain names are also critica for domain hostingwebsite hosting 662870

  2. 56018 428186Good read. I just passed this onto a buddy who was performing some research on that. He just bought me lunch since I located it for him! Thus let me rephrase: Thanx for lunch! 267033

  3. 655311 790807Wow! This could be one certain with the most beneficial blogs Weve ever arrive across on this topic. Truly Wonderful. Im also an expert in this topic therefore I can realize your hard function. 100555

  4. 474506 33376I like the valuable info you provide inside your articles. Ill bookmark your blog and check once again here frequently. Im quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff appropriate here! Great luck for the next! 72873

  5. 623507 21620Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I supply credit and sources back to your web site? My weblog is within the exact same region of interest as yours and my visitors would truly benefit from some of the data you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks! 950430

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *