President Joe Biden is labeling the idea of owning a so-called assault weapon “crazy.”
While he was leaving the White House on Tuesday, reporters asked the president if there are any executive actions on gun control he can take in the wake of a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I have done the full extent of my executive authority on guns,” Biden responded.
He went on, “Congress has to act. The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre. It’s a crazy idea.”
Watch the video below:
BIDEN: "The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre. It’s a crazy idea." pic.twitter.com/6oWdSjJOfa
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 28, 2023
Monday’s shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville left three children and three adults dead.
The shooter was killed by law enforcement.
John Drake, the chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, told reporters the shooter was armed with what has been described as two assault-style weapons and a handgun.
During an event at the White House hours after the shooting, Biden called the shooting “sick.”
“We’re still gathering the facts of what happened and why. And we do know that as of now, there are a number of people who did not make it, including children,” he added.
The president went on, “We have to do more to stop gun violence. It’s ripping our communities apart.”
President Biden renews his call for an assault weapons ban following the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 27, 2023
“It’s sick … We have to do more to stop gun violence … These children, these teachers, we should be focusing on their mental health as well.” pic.twitter.com/cUUtZ9AUHA
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre asked, “How many more children have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up to pass the Assault Weapons Ban?”
While Biden is calling for a so-called assault weapons ban, an ABC News/Washington Post poll from February 2023 found a majority of Americans oppose such a measure.
Fifty-one percent of respondents said they oppose a ban, while 47% said they support it.
Gary Langer of Langer Research Associates, which conducted the poll, said, “While Biden has undertaken a new push to ban assault weapons, public views on the issue are now closely divided.”