Biden calls Congress to act on gun violence after Michigan shooting
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US President Joe Biden reiterates his calls against gun violence and says he has taken a "historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years," but admits that more has to be done.
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Students hug on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 (AP)
US President Joe Biden has called on Congress to act against the gun violence "epidemic" in the United States.
Biden's call on Tuesday came after a new shooting on Monday claimed the lives of three civilians in the State of Michigan and injured five.
Concerned about the endless daily shootings, Biden said he spoke to the state's Democratic governor and directed the "deployment of all necessary federal law enforcement."
"Too many American communities have been devastated by gun violence," Biden said, adding, "I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more."
Police said Anthony McRae was found dead "shortly after" the shooting from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an off-campus area.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a news briefing on Tuesday, during which she called the issue of gun violence a "uniquely American problem."
The university had become "another place that is supposed to be about community and togetherness shattered by bullets and bloodshed," she told reporters.
Read: Three dead, gunman at large in mass shooting in Washington state
It is worth noting that the Michigan shooting happened on Monday at Michigan State University, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the Parkland High School shooting, which killed 17 people, mostly students.
The incident should "cause every American to exclaim 'enough' and demand that Congress take action," Biden said.
Local media reported that Michigan State Police troopers were seen on campus with rifles, instructing students to stay indoors and away from windows. The campus, at 5,200 acres, is one of the largest in the United States.
East Lansing has also issued a shelter-in-place order to the rest of the community. Agents from the FBI's Detroit field office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are on the scene.
After releasing security camera images of a Black man in a baggy blue jacket and red shoes, police received relevant information from a local resident.
Following the shooting, Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman of the university's police said at a press conference that authorities still have "absolutely no idea" about what the suspect's motive could be.
Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin also spoke following the mass shooting at Michigan State, saying, "If this is not a wake-up call to do something, I don't know what is."
"I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference to talk about our children being killed in their schools," Slotkin added, calling for action on gun violence.
Slow progress
In June, US President Joe Biden pleaded for lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws, including a ban on assault weapons, in a bid to clamp down on unprecedented levels of mass shootings across the United States that have been turning American communities into "killing fields".
The Democrat called on lawmakers to raise - at a minimum - the age at which assault weapons can be purchased from 18 to 21. He highlighted the "unconscionable" fact that the majority of Senate Republicans do not want any of these proposals to be debated or come up for a vote.
Last month, US President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass new legislation introduced earlier in the day to ban assault weapons, in light of the recent spate of shootings including in Monterey Park, California.
The United States has been rocked by a succession of high-profile mass shootings, including in schools, churches, grocery stores, and hospitals. The incidents have collectively left dozens dead. Mass shootings have reignited the debate on gun control, a contentious cultural issue that has made little progress in US Congress.
