During the Thursday, February 15 White House Press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre called for the banning of so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines.” by which she presumably meant most military-style semi-automatic rifles and popular magazines for those rifles. Her call for such a ban came the day after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.
Speaking on the matter, she first described the large number of mass shootings that have occurred so far this year, saying, “We’ve now had more mass shootings in 2024 than there have been days in the year. Gotta think about that one.”
Continuing, she explained what Biden has so far done to stop such incidents, saying, “Through executive action and implementation of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the President has taken action to keep guns out of dangerous hands by expanding red flag laws, enhancing background checks, and cracking down on gun trafficking while also making historic investment in violence prevention.”
Then she got to the part about calling for the “assault weapons” ban, saying, “But as we all know, it is not enough. Congress must act. Congress needs to act. And it is shameful that we have not seen more action on this. We need to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, pass a national red flag law, enact universal background checks, and invest in proven solutions that reduce violence. We know these actions can save lives and our communities literally can’t afford to wait.”
For reference, the shooter in Kansas City appears to have used a pistol, not a so-called “assault weapon.” One of the brave men who helped tackle and detain a suspected shooter, speaking to local media, said, “And as I’m tackling him, I see his weapon either fall out of his hand, or out of his sleeve because he was wearing a long jacket, or like a Carhart. So when I see that hit the ground, I’m like, ‘oh, you know, we got to take this guy down.‘” The suspect being able to hide it in his hand and sleeve indicated it was a pistol.
Further, this shooting appears to have been sparked by a dispute between a number of young males, not an intention to fire upon the parade. Regardless, KJP called for the “assault weapons” ban in the aftermath of the shooting, once again using the horrible tragedy to call for gun control.
Watch her do so here:
President Biden also called for an assault weapons ban in the wake of the shooting. In a statement released by the White House, he said, “The Super Bowl is the most unifying event in America. Nothing brings more of us together. And the celebration of a Super Bowl win is a moment that brings a joy that can’t be matched to the winning team and their supporters. For this joy to be turned to tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul. Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting. What are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart? It is time to act. That’s where I stand. And I ask the country to stand with me. To make your voice heard in Congress so we finally act to ban assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them. We know what we have to do, we just need the courage to do it.”
He continued, “Today, on a day that marks six years since the Parkland shooting, we learned that three police officers were shot in the line of duty in Washington, DC and another school shooting took place at Benjamin Mays High School in Atlanta. Yesterday marked one year since the shooting at Michigan State University. We’ve now had more mass shootings in 2024 than there have been days in the year. The epidemic of gun violence is ripping apart families and communities every day. Some make the news. Much of it doesn’t. But all of it is unacceptable. We have to decide who we are as a country. For me, we’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street — and to attend a Super Bowl celebration — without fear of losing your life to gun violence. Jill and I pray for those killed and injured today in Kansas City, and for our country to find the resolve to end this senseless epidemic of gun violence tearing us at the seams.”
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