"US Becoming a 'Killing Field': Biden Urges Gun Control Legislation"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] "Too many everyday places in the United States are turning into 'Killing Fields.'" As mass shootings continue across the U.S. in places like New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, President Joe Biden has urged the passage of gun control legislation.

On the afternoon of the 2nd (local time), President Biden stated in a national address, "Nothing has been done after gun tragedies," and emphasized, "This time, we must do something." He said, "In the past 20 years, more school-age children have died from guns than the combined number of active police officers and active military personnel," and questioned, "How many more massacres are we willing to accept?" He also asserted, "The problem we face is a matter of conscience and common sense."

President Biden further explained, "(Gun control laws) are not about taking guns away from someone. It is not about depriving rights," and stressed, "It is about protecting children, protecting families, protecting entire communities, and protecting our freedom to go to school, grocery stores, and churches without being shot."

On the same day, President Biden called for a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. If such a ban is not possible, he proposed raising the minimum age to purchase these weapons to 21. The recent shooters at an elementary school in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, were both 18, the minimum legal age to purchase firearms. He also urged the enactment of so-called red-flag laws that prohibit gun possession by individuals identified as dangerous.

While President Biden was delivering his speech, the U.S. Democratic Party introduced the so-called "Protecting Our Kids" bill in the House of Representatives, which raises the legal age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21. This bill was proposed in response to the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas that claimed 21 lives. It includes provisions to raise the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and to classify gun trafficking and the sale of high-capacity magazines as federal crimes. The House Judiciary Committee will review the bill next week.

Mass shootings have been occurring frequently in the United States recently. The day before, a shooting occurred at a hospital building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, resulting in at least four deaths, including the shooter, and multiple injuries. This incident added to the shock in the U.S. as it happened during the funeral period for victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on the 24th of last month.

Earlier, on the 14th of last month, a teenager who followed white supremacist ideology indiscriminately shot Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10. The shooter, Payton Gendron (18), claims he is not guilty. The day before, a 16-year-old high school student in Berkeley, California, was arrested by police for planning a mass shooting and recruiting students to participate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.