Biden is calling on Congress to pass tougher gun laws in the wake of a mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 wounded.

Shannon Longworth Reporter

Biden calls for tougher gun laws after Sacramento shooting

Apr 04, 2022

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Pierce Sharpe (Digital Producer)

Update (Apr. 4, 2021): Sacramento police have arrested a suspected gunman in the shooting that killed six people in a popular nightlife area over the weekend.

Original Story (Apr. 4, 2021): President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to pass tougher gun laws in the wake of a mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 wounded in Sacramento, California, on Sunday. Sacramento police said they were searching for at least two people who opened fire on the outskirts of the city’s downtown entertainment district.

The incident is one of 119 mass shootings so far this year, according to data from The Gun Violence Archive. Researchers define mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are killed, excluding the shooter, in a public place. Last weekend alone, 53 people were injured or killed in shootings across the country.

“The scale of violence that just happened in our city is unprecedented during my 27 years here,” Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester told reporters during a news conference at police headquarters. “We are shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy. But we are also resolved as an agency to find those responsible and to secure justice for the victims and the families.”

Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.

The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars, and police said they were investigating whether the altercation was connected to the shooting. Video from witnesses posted on social media showed rapid gunfire for at least 45 seconds as people screamed and ran for cover.

Congress has remained deadlocked on gun reform for years along partisan lines and many doubt lawmakers will act. According to a recent USA Today poll, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans think the odds of action are excellent or good. More than three-quarters rate them fair or poor.

Shannon Longworth: Let’s be honest. Most American eyes have been on the conflict overseas–for fear of World War III.
But a domestic issue hasn’t gone away, and our nationwide reminder sadly came Sunday.
MAYOR DARRELL STEINBERG | (D) SACRAMENTO: “As a state and as a nation, this senseless epidemic of gun violence must be addressed.”}
Shannon Longworth: That’s the mayor of Sacramento, addressing the mass shooting, which left six people dead and more than a dozen injured on Sunday.
President Biden quickly released a statement, pointing out that his branch of government has been working to implement his “gun crime reduction strategy.” Essentially, it invests more money in crime prevention and helps municipalities hire more police officers–quite the opposite of defunding the police, which many Democrats maintain as their platform.
In that statement, Biden called on congress to pass gun control measures and support *his* budget to further fund police.
Now, it’s been a little over a year since Biden introduced *his* plan for addressing the issue…perhaps that’s not enough time to see results? I want to know what you think in the comments below.