- Nine people were killed in a mass shooting near Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, including the gunman.
- President Biden called out Republicans for sending "thoughts and prayers" following the deaths.
President Joe Biden called out Republicans for sending "thoughts and prayers" following the latest mass shooting, and called on members of Congress to pass gun-control bills.
The mass shooting at a mall near Dallas, Texas, on Saturday left nine people dead, including the gunman.
"Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug. Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough," the president said in a statement released Sunday.
Biden noted that the Texas gunman wore tactical gear and was armed with an AR-15-style weapon.
"Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers," the statement continued.
It is yet to be reported whether the assailant obtained the firearm used in the attack legally.
According to data from the National Institute of Justice, 77% of mass shooters between 1966 and 2019 purchased at least some of the weapons used in the shootings legally.
Biden and other Democrats have long called to ban "assault weapons," a divisive term in gun control debates as there isn't a universally accepted definition.
Such a ban was passed in 1994, but has since expired. At the time, the Justice Department said that assault weapons in general were "semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use."
However, gun enthusiasts often say the term should only be used to describe weapons that are capable of fully automatic fire.
It is unlikely that the Republican-controlled House or the narrowly Democratic Senate would this type of legislation, despite polls showing that most Americans support background checks and stricter gun laws.
While Democrats have ramped up their calls for action on gun control, several Republican lawmakers have focused on mental health issues instead.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed the latest shooting on "mental illness, drugs, and evil forces" and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for mental health funding as a solution.
There have been at least 199 mass shootings in the United States so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.