President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused MAGA Republicans of wanting to defund the police and “abolish the FBI” while advocating for stricter gun laws.
‘Last week, I stated in my budget that we invest more in safer communities and we invest in mental health services for people affected by gun violence. Congressional Republicans should pass my budget instead of calling for cuts in these services or abolishing the police or defunding the FBI,’ he said.
The president made an emotional call for stricter gun laws by signing an executive order to increase the number of background checks.
Biden spoke in Monterey Park, California, a community reeling from a mass shooting during the Lunar New Year festivities in January. The gunman shot 20 people and killed 11 with a semi-automatic weapon before committing suicide.
President Joe Biden greets Brandon Tsay (left), the hero of the Monterey Park shooting
The president described the horrific event as “a day of festivity and light that turned to fear and darkness.”
His audience of families affected by the shooting and community leaders listened quietly as he told them he understood how their ‘sense of safety’ was ‘shattered.’
“I am here to cry with you, to pray with you, to let you know that you are loved and that you are not alone,” Biden told the crowd.
The silence turned to applause when he spoke of Bradon Tsay, who helped stop the shooter, and when the president praised the film’s multiple Oscar wins, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Tsay greeted the president at the airport and was in the auditorium for his remarks. He rose to his feet when Biden pointed him out and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Biden reiterated his call for Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazine weapons, which is unlikely to happen with Republicans in control of the House.
‘Ban assault weapons. Ban them again. Do it now. Enough. Do something. Do something big,’ said the president, his voice growing louder as he spoke.
A woman in the crowd at Biden’s speech in Monterey Park wipes away a tear
Biden demanded that Congress take action against gun violence. ‘Ban assault weapons. Ban them again. Do it now. Enough. Do something. Do something big,’ he said.
Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the shooter (right) greeted President Biden at the airport upon the president’s arrival in Los Angeles.
By taking action via executive order, Biden can bypass Capitol Hill.
His order will increase the number of background checks for gun purchases, promote better and safer storage of firearms, and ensure that US law enforcement agencies take full advantage of a bipartisan gun control law enacted. last summer.
“He is directing the attorney general to get as close as possible to universal background checks without additional legislation,” a senior administration official said of the order.
“There are some political ideas more popular with the American people than universal background checks, but Congress won’t act.”
Biden’s rhetoric on gun laws has grown stronger during his presidency as gun violence continues to escalate in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
His budget proposal includes funds to hire an additional 100,000 police officers on the streets, as well as money for crime prevention strategies and community violence intervention.
Republicans initially used the ‘defund the police’ chant against Democrats. But Democrats are trying to turn the tables, using Republican opposition to $1.9 billion to beef up Capitol Hill security and fund police officers after the Jan. 6 riots to argue that Republicans want to defund the police.
Also, after FBI agents raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home with a search warrant, some Republicans called for the agency to be dissolved.
And the president could use guns as a theme in his re-election campaign. He has not formally announced a second presidential run, but said he intends to run again.
January shooting in Monterey Park left 11 dead and nine wounded
The 11 victims of the horrific mass shooting in Monterey Park that occurred in the midst of Lunar New Year celebrations are: My Nhan, 65, Lilian Li, 63, Xiujuan Yu, 57, Muoi Ung, 67, Hong Jian, 62, Diana Tom , 70 , Yu Kao, 72, Chia Yau, 76, Valentino Alvero, 68, Wen Yu, 64 and Ming Ma, 72,
It’s not the first time Biden has highlighted the Monterey Park shooting to advocate for stricter gun laws.
Tsay sat in first lady Jill Biden’s box at Biden’s State of the Union address in February.
After the shooter attacked the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the shooter, Huu Can Tran, 72, headed to the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in nearby Alhambra.
Tsay, a 26-year-old computer programmer whose family owns the dance studio, confronted the gunman in the lobby, seized his gun and gave chase.
He saved lives. It’s time we do the same, too,’ Biden said in his speech to Congress. ‘Ban assault weapons once and for all.’
Biden is also calling for better ballistic data reporting from federal law enforcement for a clearinghouse that allows federal, state, and local law enforcement to match shell casings to weapons. But state and local law enforcement agencies are not required to report ballistics data, and many do not, making the clearinghouse less effective.
And the president will ask the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report looking at how gun manufacturers market to minors and use military imagery to market to the general public.
Congress passed a law last year, known as the Safer Communities Act, which gun control advocates see as a good start, but doesn’t go far enough.
After the law was signed, there were 11 other mass shootings.
