Biden again calls for stricter gun measures after string of shootings

President Joe Biden on Tuesday again called for further gun restrictions following a string of deadly shootings as the nation celebrates Independence Day.

“Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives,” Biden said in a statement. “We pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence.”

Over the past few days, shootings inPhiladelphia;Fort Worth, Texas;Baltimore;and Wichita, Kan. have left at least nine people dead and dozens of others injured. As of mid-June, the U.S. has seen the most mass killings and deaths up to that point in a single year.

Biden invoked last year’s Fourth of July when a gunman in Highland Park, Ill.,used an assault rifle to kill seven people during a holiday parade. In the year since, state lawmakers have worked to prevent further mass shootings,successfully banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines across Illinois in January.

While the lawmakers’ efforts will save lives, Biden said, “much more must be done in Illinois and across America to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.”

Biden has been a staunch advocate for stricter gun laws, saying in early May that he would “immediately”sign new gun legislation in the wake of a deadly shooting in Allen, Texas. In March, the president tried to bypass Congress to tighten gun measures, signing an executive order aimed at expanding background checks.

In addition to bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, Biden on Tuesday called for safe gun storage requirements, the end of gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability and universal background checks.

“I urge other states to follow Illinois’ lead, and continue to call upon Republican lawmakers in Congress to come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reforms that the American people support,” he said.

An overwhelming percentage of Americans support further restrictions on guns, according to aFox News poll released in April. That includes 87 percent of those surveyed supporting a requirement for criminal background checks for all gun buyers and 61 percent supporting a ban on assault rifles and semiautomatic weapons.

Numerous gun measures have repeatedly stalled in Congress in recent decades, though legislation was approved in June 2022 and signed by Biden that was intended to keep guns out of the hands of people experiencing mental health crises.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.