Joe Biden 'Will Call On Congress To Ban Mentally Ill People From Buying And Owning Guns'
Rachel Lang
Featured Image Credit: Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo. B.A.E. Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo.
Joe Biden plans to crack down on gun control by removing access to weapons for people with mental health issues.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters about the plan as the US President was en route to Buffalo, New York, in the wake of yet another mass shooting.
"President Biden will call on Congress to take action to keep weapons off war - weapons of war off our streets and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people who have a serious mental illness that makes them a danger to themselves or others," Jean-Pierre told the press.
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This pledge comes from one of his election promises.
Biden's website on gun safety states he wants to 'reinstate the Obama-Biden policy to keep guns out of the hands of certain people unable to manage their affairs for mental reasons, which President Trump reversed'.
The President's call for Congress to act on this issue will likely face staunch opposition from those who fiercely uphold America’s Second Amendment, ‘the right to bear arms’.
While Biden is yet to personally make this call to Congress, he condemned those who spread white supremacist lies 'for power, political gain and for profit' during his visit to Buffalo, where 10 people were killed in a racially-motivated shooting on Saturday (May 14).
The Guardian reports the US President appeared close to tears as he recalled the lives of the victims killed in the shooting.
He then became angry as he addressed the white supremacist motivations of 18-year-old alleged killer Payton Gendron.
"In America, evil will not win, I promise you," Biden said. "Hate will not prevail and white supremacy will not have the last word."
Gendron is accused of travelling more than 200 kilometres from his home town of Conklin, New York, armed with a rifle and military gear before opening fire at Tops Friendly Market, killing 10 people.
It is unclear why he travelled so far from home, but investigators now believe that Gendron had researched the demographics of the area in the lead-up to the attack.
The white teen allegedly shot 13 people in total, 11 Black people and two white people, according to police and as reported by AP.
Gendron live-streamed the attack on social media platform Twitch, which showed him racing through the parking lot and into the store while he unloaded rounds of bullets in the horrific short clip.
According to AP, he paused once to reload before pointing his weapon at a white person cowering behind the checkout.
In the video he can be heard saying 'sorry' to the store clerk as he withheld fire.
America has witnessed multiple mass shootings driven by racist hatred in Charleston, El Paso, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Dallas, and now Buffalo.