The President’s determination to implement an assault weapons prohibition has been bolstered, he believes, by the tragedy.
On Thursday, President Biden said he would work to have new gun control measures passed by Congress before the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in January.
The recent massacre at an LGBT nightclub in Colorado, Biden told reporters at a press event in Nantucket, Massachusetts, has reaffirmed the urgency to implement an assault weapons prohibition.
“It’s horrible that we still allow the purchase of semi-automatic rifles,” Biden stated. “…it contributes nothing positive to society. Zero justifications other than the business motive on the part of the firearms industry.”
Both pistols and rifles can be classified as semi-automatic weapons, and they both operate by releasing a single bullet with each trigger pull.
Even though Republicans will take control of the House in January, President Biden said he will still work to get a new assault weapons prohibition passed.
The President promised, “I’m going to try.” I intend to make an effort to ban assault weapons.
Biden promised to consult with legislators to determine the scope of the problem and the likelihood of accomplishment. These are long odds right now.
Until the new Congress takes office in January, the Democrats will hold a razor-thin majority in the House. Meanwhile, both parties have an equal number of seats in the Senate. A comprehensive gun control package, including a ban on assault weapons, needs at least ten Republican votes to clear the Senate and overcome the filibuster.
Earlier this year, Biden called for a ban on assault rifles. Still, the idea was met with indifference by Republicans, although almost two dozen Republican senators went against the gun industry to get a bipartisan gun law through.
As for the political climate, don’t expect much relief in the new year. Democrats may have lost the House to Republicans, but they maintained a razor-thin majority in the Senate, which isn’t nearly enough to overcome a Republican filibuster.