WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden addressed gun safety and his administration's steps to reduce gun violence in a speech Tuesday at an annual conference on the issue — hours after his son was found guilty on gun-related charges by a federal jury in Delaware.
"It’s time once again, to do what I did when I was a senator: ban assault weapons," Biden said, to large cheers from the crowd. "Who, in God’s name, needs a magazine which can hold 200 shells?”
He delivered the headline speech at Everytown for Gun Safety's annual training conference, Gun Sense University, in Washington, D.C. The group said that the conference brings together volunteers and survivors of gun violence from across the country "to share best practices, participate in training sessions about effective organizing and prepare for the crucial work ahead."
The Biden-Harris 2024 presidential campaign released a memo ahead of the president's speech touting the administration's accomplishments to decrease gun violence.
"Fighting for a safer America — an America that does its part to save more lives from gun violence — is on the ballot this November," said the memo from campaign senior spokesperson Kevin Munoz.
Biden "signed the most significant federal bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years," the memo said, "that went after gun traffickers and expanded federal background checks; has worked to combat deadly, untraceable ghost guns; and closed the background check loophole — and more."
The memo also blamed former President Donald Trump’s staunch support for the NRA and opposition to gun legislation for “the largest increase in violence in American history, leading to 20,000 more people dead by gun violence.”
Munoz said the Biden-Harris campaign is focused on gun issues. Last Friday, he said that Vice President Kamala Harris held a gun violence prevention campaign event in Maryland with Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks. On the second anniversary of the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Munoz said that the campaign released an ad buy focused on Latino battleground voters. He also said the campaign has held news conferences and events with students, survivors and elected officials across the country to discuss gun violence.
For his part, reducing gun violence has been a top priority for Biden as president. He highlighted it in his State of the Union address before Congress in March.
"My predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was President. After another school shooting in Iowa he said we should just 'get over it.' I say we must stop it," Biden said. "I’m proud we beat the NRA when I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years! Now we must beat the NRA again! I’m demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines! Pass universal background checks! None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners."
