President Joe Biden used the deadly shooting in Sacramento, California, to call on Congress to pass gun control measures.
Six people were killed and 10 injured in a mass shooting early Sunday as bars and nightclubs were closing in downtown Sacramento and police in California's state capital were searching for at least one suspect.
"We must do more than mourn; we must act," Biden said in a statement released Sunday night by the White House. "That is why my Administration has taken historic executive action to implement my comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy — from standing up gun trafficking strike forces to helping cities across the country expand community violence interventions and hire more police officers for community policing.
"We also continue to call on Congress to act. Ban ghost guns. Require background checks for all gun sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Repeal gun manufacturers' immunity from liability. Pass my 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. These are just a few of the steps Congress urgently needs to take to save lives."
Biden's efforts to pass legislation to tighten gun laws haven't advanced since he took office. He also was forced to pull his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On the four-year anniversary of the shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Biden in February said his administration stood with advocates working to end gun violence and urges the nation to uphold the "solemn obligation" to "keep each other safe."
Still, there appears to be little appetite in Congress to pass gun legislation. The strongest effort in recent years failed, even after 20 children and six adults were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
"Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence," Biden said in his Sunday night statement. "In a single act in Sacramento, six individuals left dead and at least a dozen more injured. Families forever changed. Survivors left to heal wounds both visible and invisible."
"I want to thank the first responders in Sacramento, and all those across the United States, who act every day to save lives. We know these lives were not the only lives impacted by gun violence last night. And we equally mourn for those victims and families who do not make national headlines."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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