President Biden, when updating the nation on new executive actions from his administration on Thursday, called gun violence in the U.S. an “epidemic.”
During his speech, Biden—who has announced a number of executive actions including efforts aimed at restricting homemade “ghost guns”—also urged Congress to take action.
“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic, and it’s an international embarrassment,” Biden said, later taking a moment to highlight a mass shooting this week in South Carolina that left five people dead.
“Enough prayers,” Biden said later. “Time for some action.” The president also criticized the “phony arguments” of those who argue that gun law reform constitutes an attack on the Second Amendment.
Watch Biden’s full remarks, as well as those of Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland, below.
This week, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled what they describe as “six initial actions” aimed at addressing the gun violence “public health epidemic.” Among those six actions are a proposed rule on “ghost guns” from the Justice Department within 30 days, the publication of model “red flag” legislation within 60 days, the launch of an annual report on firearms trafficking, and more.
Ahead of Biden’s speech on Thursday, the student-led gun control advocacy group March for Our Lives issued a statement to Complex and other outlets noting that “more remains to be done” after Biden’s executive actions. Read their full statement below:
Last month, a bipartisan House coalition passed a pair of bills focused on closing loopholes in the gun background check process. Per Biden, Congress should not only put their weight behind closing those loopholes, but they should go even further by—among other things—closing stalking-related loopholes that can allow for people determined by courts to be abusers to possess firearms.