President Joe Biden has said the US should ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines to tackle the “carnage” of gun violence.

Speaking in an address to the nation from the White House, Mr. Biden said too many everyday places in America has become “killing fields”. He said if Congress cannot outlaw such weapons, it should seek to raise the age to buy them from 18 to 21.

Mr. Biden’s speech came after a string of mass shootings in the country. In Biden’s remarks from the White House, he called for expanding federal background checks and nationwide red flag laws, which will allow law enforcement to remove weapons from anyone deemed dangerous.

A Standing Hindrance

The prospects for Congress passing any gun control measures look uncertain, and the US Supreme Court could instead, be poised to expand Americans’ gun rights in a landmark case that Justices are considering.

“This is not about taking away anyone’s guns”, Mr. Biden said, adding that “This isn’t about taking away anyone’s rights. It’s about protecting children”.

“Why in God’s name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30-round magazines, that let mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes?”
US President, Joe Biden

Mr. Biden touted a 1994 ban on assault-style weapons that he helped pass. It lapsed after 10 years, and debate raged ever since over whether it is effective in reducing gun violence. His current proposition came in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Even as he was preparing to speak to the nation, multiple people were shot in an attack at a cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.

Overturning the Laws

Private gun ownership is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

The extent of congressional gridlock on the issue was underscored earlier on Thursday, June 2, 2022, during a hearing on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee held an emergency session to debate new gun control proposals.

Congressman, Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, joined the hearing from his home via Zoom. He displayed several handguns from his personal collection that he said would be banned if the legislation is passed.

But Democrat from Texas interjected by saying, “I hope the gun is not loaded”. Mr. Steube replied: “I’m at my house. I can do whatever I want with my guns”. Louisiana Republican, Louie Gohmert, intimated that Democrats “accuse Republicans of being complicit in murder”. He further questioned “How dare you. You think we don’t have hearts?”

Possible Next Line of Action(s)

The Democratic-led Protecting Our Kids Act combined eight different gun control bills, and it included many of the proposals made by Mr. Biden in his Thursday’s (June 2, 2022) late night address.

Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court is deliberating on one of the nation’s most restrictive gun laws, in New York, which placed tight restrictions on who can carry a gun in public. Report suggests that should the Justices strike down the law, state-level bans across the nation on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines could end up being overturned.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, about 233 mass shootings has been recorded in the US so far this year (2022). It defined mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, excluding the shooter.