“While we are still waiting for more information about the perpetrator and his motives, I do not have to wait another minute to urge the Senate to address this,” Biden said at a press conference on Tuesday morning, local time.
21-year-old has been arrested
Ten people were killed when a man started firing inside a mall in Boulder, Colorado on Monday. A 21-year-old has been arrested.
“The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Ahmad Alissa,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold told a news conference Tuesday.
Police have released this photo of the detainee. According to his brother, he is deeply disturbed and paranoid.
Photo: Handout / AFP
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He said Alissa is being treated in hospital after being shot by police on Monday.
– He is charged with ten murders and is being produced for custody, Herold said. The perpetrator used a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, and the police are now working to find out the reason why he had it.
The attack happened just four days later a mass shooting in Atlanta in Georgia where eight people were killed, including six Asian-American women.
Want better background check
As early as February, the President asked Congress to start work on a reform of the gun laws in the United States. At today’s press conference, the president said that now is the time to tighten up.
“We should increase the use of background checks on people who want to buy weapons, it is one of the best tools we have now to prevent gun violence,” the president said.
Biden also spoke out in favor of banning assault weapons.
– This should be adopted immediately. It will save lives, American lives, he said.
Will submit proposals to the Senate
Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer says he will take the initiative to try to pass a law on stricter background checks on people who want to buy weapons.
– This Senate is different. The Senate will debate and address this epidemic of gun attacks in our country, he says according to the news agency AP.
Although opinion polls show that tighter gun control is popular with voters, there is likely little chance of consensus in the Senate, which is divided in the middle between Republicans and Democrats.
It is unclear whether it is possible to find enough support among Republicans since a majority of 60 will be needed to pass new gun laws. Not all Democrats are in favor of legislation.
Last year, 611 mass shootings and 11 mass killings were registered in the United States, defined as attacks in which four or more people are killed. More than 19,000 Americans were killed in 2020, the website reports Gun Violence Archive.
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