Biden calls on Congress to reform firearms laws on the anniversary of the shooting in Parkland

President Joe Biden on Sunday called on Congress to tighten gun laws on the third anniversary of the mass shooting at Douglas Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida.

“Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn all those who have lost their loved ones due to armed violence,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

The president called for several provisions, including background checks on all arms sales, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and the removal of legal immunity for gun manufacturers.

“This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to address this call. We will take steps to end our epidemic of armed violence and make our schools and communities safer,” Biden said. “We owe it to all those we have lost and to all those who have been left behind to grieve to make a change.”

Fourteen students and three staff members were killed in the Parkland shooting. The surviving students started the March for Our Lives movement in support of gun control legislation.

President Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said in a statement Sunday that Congress would work with the Biden administration to enact two background check bills. The House passed the Bipartisan Background Check Act and the Enhanced Background Check Act during the last Congress.

“In this solemn remembrance, Democrats join the American people in renewing our commitment to our unfinished work to ensure that no family or community is forced to endure the pain of armed violence,” Pelosi said. “We will not rest until all Americans, in schools, in the workplace, in places of worship and in our communities are safe once and for all.”

Susan Rice, head of the White House Home Affairs Council, and Cedric Richmond, Biden’s senior adviser, held a virtual meeting last week with leaders of gun violence advocacy groups to discuss how to reduce gun violence. violence with weapons.