Biden reiterates calls for gun reforms after shooting incidents on Independence Day

NEW YORK (AA) – US President Joe Biden Tuesday called on Republican lawmakers in Congress for “meaningful” gun reforms following a long holiday weekend of bloodshed across the country as the nation celebrates Independence Day.

The US has seen a wave of shootings from Philadelphia to Fort Worth, Baltimore to Lansing and Wichita to Chicago over the past few days.

“Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives and, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence,” Biden said in a statement.

“Today also marks one year since a shooter armed with an AR-15-style weapon fired upon a crowd of Americans gathered for an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. In mere moments, this day of patriotic pride became a scene of pain and tragedy,” he added.

Biden praised Illinois officials for banning assault weapons, saying that “their achievement will save lives.”

He said that much more must be done across the country to address the epidemic of gun violence.

“It is within our power to once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to require safe storage of guns, to end gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and to enact universal background checks,” the US president said.

“I urge other states to follow Illinois’ lead, and continue to call upon Republican lawmakers in Congress to come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reforms that the American people support,” he added.

Mass shootings in the US reached a record high in the first half of the year, with over 330 mass shootings recorded, according to data collected by the Gun Violence Archive.