Biden urges action on gun control following Colorado mass shooting
Washington DC – President Joe Biden called for action on gun control on Tuesday, a day after ten people were shot dead in Boulder, Colorado.
"While we're still waiting for more information regarding the shooter, his motive, the weapons he used – the guns, the magazines, the weapons, and the modifications that apparently have taken place to those weapons that are involved here," Biden said in Washington DC.
"I don't need to wait another minute ... to take commonsense steps that will save the lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act."
"We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was a senator. It passed. It was law for the longest time, and it brought down these mass killings. We should do it again," the president told reporters.
Biden called on the US Senate to "immediately pass" two bills already green-lighted by the lower house with bipartisan support "that close loopholes in the background check system."
"This is not and should not be a partisan issue ... It will save lives ... and we have to act," Biden said. "We should also ban assault weapons in the process."
A 21-year-old suspect was taken into custody and charged with 10 counts of murder after the attack in Boulder.
Boulder Police chief Maris Herold on Monday said that among the calls received by police about shots fired at a King Soopers grocery store was one about a person with a "patrol rifle."
CNN cited an unnamed senior law enforcement source as saying that the weapon used in the shooting was an AR-15-style rifle.
Cover photo: IMAGO / MediaPunch