California Shootings: Biden calls on Congress to Ban Assault Weapons

Shootings in the US have forced President Biden to urge the Congress to quickly ban assault weapons in California.

“We know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action. I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe,” Biden said in a statement.

In less than 48 hours of the New lunar year shootings, the USA bore the brunt of two more shootings, claiming the lives of seven and injuring one person. The two shootings took place in the Half Moon Bay area of northern California of the United States. Local officials told a news agency that a 67-year-old suspect is now in custody. 

The suspect, who was found in his car in the parking lot of a Half Moon Bay substation, has been apprehended to be behind the crime, according to the sheriff, as a semi-automatic weapon was discovered in his car. 

An international comparison of all gun-related killings reveals that, in 2020 alone 79% of all homicides committed globally were committed in America. There has also been a sharp rise in mass shootings after 2019, according to Gun Violence Archive data. The US does not have a single definition for “mass shootings”, the Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. Their figure includes shootings that happen both at homes and in public places.    

While the nation has had several mass shootings, the deadliest such happened in Las Vegas in 2017, killing more than 50 people and leaving around 500 injured. Congress has consistently refused to reauthorize the assault weapon prohibition that expired in 2004. The prohibition is opposed by many Republicans who point to their constitutional right to possess a gun.