Biden says gun control law will help save lives, but says “it’s not enough”

U.S. President Joe Biden has described as insufficient the recent law passed by Congress, considered the most significant gun legislation in 30 years, and said that it is necessary to “do more” to curb the alarming rate of shootings in the country.

“It won’t save every life from the epidemic of gun violence, but if this law had been in place years ago, even this past year, lives would have been saved. It matters. It matters. But it’s not enough and we all know that,” he said during an event to celebrate its passage, as reported by the U.S. network CNN.

Biden has been momentarily interrupted in his speech, which has been attended by victims of mass shootings from Columbine to Highland Park, by Manuel Oliver, whose son died in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“You can do more than that,” he shooed him. Shortly after, security forces have escorted him out of the event, held on the White House lawn, as reported by the US network NBC News.

“Yes, there is a right to bear arms, but we also have the right to live freely without fear for our lives in a store, in a classroom, in a playground, in a place of worship, at work, in a nightclub, a festival, in our neighborhoods and our streets,” he said, as reported by the newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.

For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris stressed that this measure is “historic” and congratulated those who have decided to support it: “To the members of Congress who are here with us: In the face of so much pessimism, you passed a bipartisan law,” she said, as reported in a statement.

In parallel, the White House has noted that the Biden Administration has carried out “more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other president at this point in his Administration.”

“President Biden welcomes the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence reduction legislation passed by Congress in 30 years,” it has stated, adding that the FY 2023 budget forecast will have $32 million in additional funding to fight crime and enforce federal law.

“The president will continue to urge Congress to take further legislative action to keep dangerous weapons out of dangerous hands, including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strengthening background checks, and enacting safe storage laws,” the White House has zinged.

A new Pew Research Center poll finds that 64 percent of Americans approve of the new law, with 32 percent of that percentage “strongly favoring” it, while only 21 percent oppose the measure (11 percent “strongly disapprove”).

That survey indicates that about half of Americans (49 percent) believe that if it were more difficult for people to obtain firearms legally, there would be fewer mass shootings, although an almost identical proportion (50 percent) respond that it would make no difference.

Similarly, about half of Americans surveyed (52 percent) respond that it is more important to control gun ownership than to protect gun rights, while nearly as many (47) say it is more important to protect Americans’ right to own guns.

Eighty percent of Democrats polled approve of the measure, while on the Republican side, polls reflect 47 percent support and 35 percent disapproval. Also, those who have heard more about the initiative tend to give it less approval.

In addition, nearly nine in ten Democrats surveyed–out of a total sample of 6,174–would like to see Congress pass other legislation, while only 32 percent of Republicans say the same.

Other survey data indicates that the proportion of U.S. adults who say there would be less crime if more citizens owned guns declined from 31 percent in 2021 to 24 percent in 2022. Conversely, Americans surveyed who think that more guns means more crime increased from 34 to 41.