Biden urges gun control laws as another mass shooting alters his pandemic-relief tour
WASHINGTON — For the second time in a week, President Joe Biden's campaign to broaden public awareness and support for his pandemic relief benefits has been overshadowed by a mass shooting, thrusting the fraught issue of gun control to the fore.
On Tuesday, he was set to travel to Ohio, where he planned to highlight how the new law will reduce health care costs, but first he had to plan how to address Monday's mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 people dead, with a statement as he left the White House.
Biden, delivering hastily scheduled remarks from the State Dining Room before departing for Ohio, vowed "to use all the resources at my disposal to keep the American people safe," refusing to speculate on the still hazy motives of the Colorado shooter but calling on Congress to expand background checks and ban assault weapons.
"While we're still waiting for more information regarding the shooter, his motive, the weapons he used, the guns, the magazines, the weapons, the modifications. ... I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take commonsense steps that will save the lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act," Biden said, calling on the Senate to pass two House-approved bills closing background check loopholes for gun buyers.
"This is not and should not be a partisan issue," he continued. "This is an American issue. It will save lives."
Harris briefly addressed the shooting during a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday morning for new CIA Director William Burns. "It's absolutely baffling — it's 10 people going about their day, living their lives, not bothering anybody," she said. "A police officer who is performing his duties, and with great courage and heroism."
