Biden to mark anniversary of Uvalde school shooting

President Biden on Wednesday will mark the anniversary of a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed, by calling for congressional action to address gun violence.

The president will deliver remarks by the grand staircase of the White House to remember the victims of the shooting, a White House official said. First lady Jill Biden also will attend.

“The president will remember those lost in Uvalde and reiterate his call for Republicans in Congress to act and help stop the epidemic of gun violence that has become the No. 1 killer of kids in America,” the White House official said.

A gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022, and killed 19 fourth graders. Eighteen others were injured, including 14 students.

Biden visited Uvalde shortly after the shooting to pay his respects to the victims and mourn with the families.

Roughly one month after the Uvalde shooting, which was days after a gunman killed 10 people at a Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

The legislation, which was signed into law by the president in June, enhanced background checks for gun purchasers between the age of 18 and 21, made obtaining firearms through straw purchases or trafficking a federal offense and clarified the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer, among other measures.

The bill was seen as a major win after years of gridlock prevented any significant gun legislation from passing in the wake of mass shootings like Sandy Hook. But the country has continued to see an onslaught of gun violence, including at schools.

In March, three nine-year-olds and three adults were killed in a shooting at a Nashville school. In April, two people were killed and four others were injured after shots were fired into a crowd in Louisville, Ky. Earlier this month, a gunman opened fire in a shopping mall near Dallas, killing eight others.

In the wake of each of those shootings, Biden has pleaded with Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and end immunity for gun manufacturers to help curb the epidemic of gun violence in the country.

“While he’s very appreciative of what Congress was able to do, there’s so much more to be done,” White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre said Tuesday. “We need to see Congress do something more, do more, put forward some commonsense gun reform. That’s what these families deserve. That’s what they should be able to see.”