President Joe Biden is being pressed on whether he should rethink his agenda given the number of fatal shootings the nation has experienced.
A reporter asked Biden on Friday what he would say to Americans about the legislative progress on gun control and police reform while the administration works on infrastructure and if he also feels any need to “reprioritize” his agenda.
“I’ve never not prioritized this. No one has worked harder to deal with the violence used by individuals using weapons than I have. I’m the only one ever to have passed an assault weapons ban. I mean, only one that ever got a 10-year ban on assault weapons and clips of more than 10 bullets,” Biden said on Friday.
He continued, “Immediately upon us coming in office, having an attorney general, I asked him to put together the things I could do by executive order including dealing with new guns that can be made, you can buy in pieces and put together and other initiatives. I strongly support the universal background checks which I continue to push.”
Watch his remarks below:
Reporter asks President Biden whether he feels the need to reprioritize his agenda given the prevalence of gun violence and police killings in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/haZKmIzD1M
— The Recount (@therecount) April 16, 2021
Earlier on Friday, Biden also released a statement in response to the fatal mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indiana, where a gunman killed eight people and wounded several, as IJR reported.
“Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation,” Biden said.
During a White House press briefing, Psaki commented on the shooting and called for more action to be taken.
“Like all of you, we’re horrified by the shooting,” Psaki said. “We can’t afford to wait as innocent lives are taken … There’s more we can do and must do.”
Last week, Biden rolled out six executive actions on gun control, as IJR reported.