President Joe Biden has joined a community in Florida in remembering the 17 people lost in the Parkland shooting.
The president leveraged the occasion to urge Congress to increase gun laws, including forcing background checks on every gun sale and banning assault rifles.
There is no time, Biden said. “We owe it those we have lost to make a change. The time is now.”
Governor Ron DeSantis ordered flags at half staff across the Sunshine state to honor those who died when someone opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 2018.
In the end, 14 students and three staff members had died, while 17 were wounded. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is still facing sentencing.
Despite Democratic control of the presidency and the entire Congress, it remains to be seen what President Biden will attempt to do.
“This White House will not await another mass shooting to act. We will act to end our gun violence and make our communities and schools safer,” Biden said during his statement on Sunday.
More than background checks and assault rifle bans, President Biden is urging Congress to ban high-capacity magazines and allow lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
“For three whole years, the Parkland families have been without their loved ones,” Biden said.
“Today we mourn with the community and we mourn for all who lost someone to gun violence,” he stated.
“Over the past three years, these families have taught us all something important,” the president went on. “They showed us how to turn our grief into purpose – to organize a strong movement for change.”