President Joe Biden said Thursday that he will work with congress to “try to get rid of assault weapons” after a recent spate of shootings in the US, including at a LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Associated Press has the story:
Biden says he’ll renew push for assault weapons ban
Newslooks- Nantucket, Mass. (AP)
President Joe Biden said Thursday he would make a renewed effort to enact a ban on assault-style rifles following a wave of mass shootings that have again put a spotlight on the nation’s gun control laws. Speaking to reporters during a visit to a fire station on Thanksgiving morning, the president reiterated his longstanding argument that such weapons are a societal menace and should not be sold.
“The idea that we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick,” he said while greeting firefighters in Nantucket, where he and his family are spending the Thanksgiving holiday. “It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturers.”
Congress has proved reluctant to outlaw AR-15s and other assault-style guns. The Democratic-controlled House passed a ban in July, in a vote largely along party lines. But the bill stands little chance of advancing in the Senate, where 10 Republicans would need to join a unified Democratic caucus to break a filibuster.
Biden was asked if he might press for a ban in the congressional lame duck session, when outgoing lawmakers who aren’t facing another election might feel freer to break with base voters and the well-funded gun lobby.
“I’m going to try,” Biden said.
“I’m going to do it whenever I …” he continued. “I got to make that assessment as I get in and start counting the votes.”
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Biden’s remarks came two days after a night manager at a Walmart store in Virginia opened fire on his co-workers, killing six and leaving at least a half dozen others wounded. The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Andre Bing, took his own life.Authorities said he used a handgun in the attack.
Mass shootings have been taking place with chilling frequency. On Saturday, a gunman killed five people and injured more than two dozen others at Club Q, a LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs. Patrons prevented more deaths by confronting and disarming the suspect, identified by officials as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22. The weapon used was in the style of a Colt AR-15, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.
The president and first lady Jill Biden on Thursday phoned Club Q’s owners, according to the White House. They told the two owners, Nic Grzecka and Matthew Haynes, that they are committed to combatting “hate and gun violence,” the White House said.
Biden brings Thanksgiving pies to Nantucket first responders
Newslooks- NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP)
President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered at least half a dozen pumpkin pies to Massachusetts firefighters during a Thanksgiving Day show of appreciation and his toddler grandson walked away with a red fire hat topping his blond curls.
“Oh wow,” Biden was heard to say upon seeing Beau Biden, who is nearly 3, emerge from the headquarters building wearing the hat. The president was with the firefighters who had lined up outside the building to welcome him.
Biden had expressed appreciation for firefighters and other emergency personnel earlier in the day when he and his wife, Jill, spoke by telephone to the hosts of NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
“I want to say thanks to the firefighters and police officers, first responders. They never take a break,” he said during the call. The Bidens spoke later Thursday with units from each of the six branches of the U.S. military, stationed in Europe, at sea, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the White House said.
“We remember them every single day,” he said during the broadcast. “God bless our troops.”
Jill Biden appeared to try to get her grandson to talk to the firefighters, but Beau would not look up. She was overheard saying she did not know why he was being so quiet.
During a brief conversation with reporters, Biden said he hopes the upcoming Republican-controlled House will continue U.S. aid to Ukraine. He also said his team is involved in negotiations to avoid a freight rail strike in early December that could further disrupt the economy.
After the visit, Biden returned to the Nantucket home where he is taking in the holiday with family, including son Hunter and his wife, Melissa — who are Beau’s parents — and daughter Ashley.
They are camping out at a sprawling waterfront compound along Nantucket Harbor owned by David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm. Biden celebrated Thanksgiving at the home in 2021.
The Bidens have a more than 40-year tradition of spending Thanksgiving on the Massachusetts island.
