Joe Biden has called for new gun laws hours after six people were killed in a shooting outside a Sacramento bar.
‘Ban ghost guns,’ the president said Sunday. ‘Require background checks for all gun sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.’
Biden’s push for gun reform comes as Sacramento police continue to search for two gunmen who opened fire on a group of bargoers in downtown.
Police said an unidentified gunman in a car opened fire into the crowd before fleeing. A second person fired a gun but authorities do not yet know if he was in the crowd or in the car.
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The killings happened in the city’s lively entertainment district in the early hours of Sunday after a brawl broke out on 10th street outside a number of popular bars.
A total of six people, three men and three women, died in the 2am attack. Cops are yet to officially confirm the identities of the victims but two of the dead have been named as Sergio Harris, 38, and DeVasia Turner, 29.
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Biden, 79, thanked the first responders in Sacramento Sunday and then noted that it was likely they weren’t the only victims of gun violence across the country overnight, saying America needed to do something about it.
‘We equally mourn for those victims and families who do not make national headlines,’ he said in a statement. ‘But we must do more than mourn; we must act.’
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He cited his administration’s work implementing gun reforms, including attempting to stop those trafficking firearms, plus expanding funds for police.
Biden implored Congress to pass his budget proposal, which ‘would give cities more of the funding they need to fund the police and fund the crime prevention and intervention strategies that can make our cities safer.’
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California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a statement Sunday, described the shooting as ‘yet another horrendous act of gun violence’ in the state.
‘What we do know at this point is that another mass casualty shooting has occurred, leaving families with lost loved ones, multiple individuals injured and a community in grief,’ Newsom said. ‘The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.’
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg offered his thoughts to the community, while also promising that Lester has made battling gun violence a ‘top priority’.
‘Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning. The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. We await more information about exactly what transpired in this tragic incident,’ he tweeted.
‘Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it. Our new Police Chief, Kathy Lester, has made it a top priority, and I stand firmly behind her.’