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In a televised address today, President Biden demanded senators “immediately pass” two pieces of gun reform legislation and send them to his desk for signature. Both bills (HR 8 and HR 1422) would expand background checks on gun sales. They passed the House of Representatives earlier this month with bi-partisan support.
“I don’t need to wait another minute to take common sense steps that will save lives,” Biden said. The president called these bills “some of the best tools we have right now to prevent gun violence.”
The President also urged Congress to pass bills banning certain assault weapons, gun modifications and high powered magazines so often used in mass casualty shooting incidents.
The speech comes one day after a mass shooting at a grocery store Boulder, Colorado that killed ten people. One of those killed was veteran police officer Eric Talley, whom Biden called “an American hero”.
Just one week ago, another gunman killed eight people in a white supremacist terror attack in Atlanta, Georgia.
Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, tweeted about the shootings:
“This isn’t freedom. This isn’t happening in any other high income country. No other nation would tolerate this and we don’t have to either.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced this morning he would bring universal background checks to the floor for a vote.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing today on several common sense proposals to help stop gun violence,” he said in a tweet. “This Senate will address the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”
I like Shannon Watts. “This isn’t freedom”. Freedom from fear for women and minorities and parents. The right claims the terms freedom and liberty as it’s own but nothing could be further from the truth. The right wants to control women’s bodies, control the opportunities of anyone not hetero male, control which religion can be practiced, control how you look and love, they even tell you to cut your hair. Total dictatorial control over everyone’s private life is what Republicans demand. And your public life should be ruled by fear of being shot. No same day voting but yes to same day shooting. Fight for freedom, get the Republicans out of office in Oklahoma. Or as they say “Arm the insane, vote Republican!” One party rule stifles all liberty!