President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to pass more gun control laws after a gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?! When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?” Biden said.
He also blasted lobbyists for the lack of action to take guns away from law-abiding citizens.
“But these mass shootings never happened with the kind of frequency that happened in America?” the president continued. “Why? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen?”
Biden went on to tighten gun laws in response to the shooting and stand up against gun lobby.
“Where in God’s name is our backbone?” he added. “To have the courage to deal with it and stand up to the lobbyists?”
On Tuesday, a shooter identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 children and two adults.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told reporters that the shooter had become barricaded inside the school, which is located 80 miles west of San Antonio.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
The president ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and public buildings to honor the victims of the Uvalde school shooting. The order also applies to all military posts, naval stations, and vessels until Saturday at sunset.
Biden, who was aboard Air Force One returning from a trip to Asia when the shooting happened, has been briefed on Tuesday’s school shooting.
“[He] will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter. “His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event, and he will speak this evening when he arrives back at the White House.”
