6th July, 2022
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has called for federal action on assault weapons.
She made the call on Tuesday evening, less than 36 hours after a shooter opened fire at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, killing seven people.
“We’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what, in particular, assault weapons. And we’ve got to take this stuff seriously.
“The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this could happen anywhere in any peace-loving community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it’s got to stop’ she added.
“We have more to do. We have more to do. Congress needs to have the courage to act and renew the assault weapons ban,’’ Harris told a group of educators.
“We need reasonable gun safety laws. And we need to have Congress stop protecting those gun manufacturers with the liability shield. Repeal it. Repeal it’ she stressed.
A few hours later, in a short speech given in the heart of Highland Park, Harris offered condolences from President Joe Biden.
“You know that you have a whole nation that cares deeply about you and stands with you. This is an incredibly tight community. I know that. And this person will be brought to justice, but it’s not going to undo what happened.
“And we’re here for you, and we stand with you,’’ Harris said.
dpa/NAN