President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, will travel to Uvalde, Texas today, to meet with the families of the victims of the elementary school shooting. Biden will comfort the families of the victims in the town rocked by the largest school attack in the United States in the past decade.
At least 19 students and 2 teachers lost their lives in the attack on Robb Elementary School by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, in which the suspect was killed by police officers.
While the discussions continued that the police were late in responding to the primary school massacre, the authorities admitted that the police had made the “wrong decision” by waiting for about an hour for reinforcements.
Biden is expected to visit the monument erected at the school after the incident and meet with the families of the victims.
Democrat President Biden is said to be relatively powerless to stop mass shootings in America or to persuade Republicans that stronger gun controls are a solution.
Biden’s visit to Texas will be the third site of mass shootings, including his visit to Buffalo, New York, earlier this month, following the shooting that killed 10 blacks at a supermarket.
“Too much violence, too much fear, too much grief,” Joe Biden said in his speech at the University of Delaware graduation ceremony yesterday. “I know we can’t ban tragedy, but we can make America safer. Ultimately, we can do what we have to do to protect the lives of people and our children,” he said.
The Uvalde shooting has once again placed gun control high on the country’s agenda, and supporters of stronger gun laws argue that this latest attack is the last straw.
“The president has a real opportunity. The country is desperately asking a leader to stop the carnage from gun violence,” said Igor Volsky, director of Guns Down America.
Saying that Biden should immediately establish a senior position in charge of tackling the country’s gun problem and create public pressure across the US to pass meaningful gun reform to Congress, Volsky reminds us that Biden promised to fight guns.
Vice President Kamala Harris, during a visit to Buffalo yesterday, called for a ban on offensive-style weapons, saying that after two mass attacks in a row, such weapons are “a weapon of war” and have no place in civil society.
Meanwhile, prominent Republicans such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former President Donald Trump have rejected new calls for gun control, calling for easier mental asylum for the mentally ill and an end to the practice of disarming school districts.
Republican Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has denied allegations that newly enacted Texas gun laws had anything to do with Tuesday’s attack, including a controversial move that abolishes licensing requirements to carry guns.