With each mass killing, the subject comes up again. In the aftermath of a shooting at a Texas mall that left eight people dead and several seriously injured, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to ban assault rifles. “I again call on Congress to pass legislation banning assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Implementing criminal and psychiatric background checks. Requiring safe storage (of weapons). Ending the immunity of arms manufacturers,” he pleaded in a statement.
“I will sign her immediately,” he said. “We need more action, and faster, to save lives,” he said. “Too many families have empty chairs around their table. Republican members of Congress cannot continue to respond to this epidemic with a shrug. Thoughts and prayers tweeted are not enough,” he said.
Children are among the victims of the Texas massacre, according to the American president. Joe Biden’s call is unlikely to result in a ban on such weapons by Congress. Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are fiercely opposed, backed by the powerful gun lobby. The United States, where killings are regular, has more individual weapons than inhabitants.