White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday called on Congress to tighten gun safety regulations in the wake of the terrorist attacks mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.
Jean-Pierre began Thursday’s news conference with a statement on the shootings, saying President Joe Biden had skipped a state dinner Wednesday evening to receive an introductory briefing on the event. Biden and first lady Jill Biden “prayed for the victims and their families” and “for those still fighting for their lives,” Jean-Pierre said.
Such violence devastated families and communities and left survivors with “physical and psychological scars,” she said. She ticked off a list of policies Congress could enact to curb future violence: a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a requirement for universal background checks and a requirement for secure gun storage.
Biden signed a bipartisan gun safety bill last year that was narrower than Democrats’ earlier proposal. Last month, he also created the White House Office to Prevent Gun Violence, headed by Vice President Kamala Harris.
But such steps were insufficient, Jean-Pierre said.
“While we have made progress since the president signed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, much more remains to be done,” she said. “The president has made clear that executive action alone will not be enough.”
The White House office will assess what further executive actions can be taken, Jean-Pierre said. But most of the responsibility fell to Congress, she said.
“From here on out, we’ll do everything we can, but the real answer is that Congress must act,” she said. “They need to take action.”
Jean-Pierre declined to answer a question about Biden’s potential visit to Lewiston after the shooting. According to her, the top priority should be the arrest of the suspect.
