On the second anniversary of George Floyd's death, U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 25, 2022, before to the signing of an executive order to reform federal and local policing. Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Reuters
(CNN)
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he will visit Uvalde, Texas, in the near future to meet with the families of the 19 students and two instructors murdered in a school shooting.
"Jill and I will be flying to Texas in the coming days to speak with the families and let them know we understand their agony," Biden said at a signing event for an executive order on police reform at the White House.
"I believe we must all be for them as a country. Hello, everyone "he added. "And we must ask: When in God's name will we do what is required to, if not fully end, at least significantly reduce the amount of carnage in our country?"
"I'm sick and weary of what's going on," Biden added, echoing words he made Tuesday night in a national speech.
"Common sense" gun regulation, he claimed, would not "avoid every tragedy," but would "have a major influence" while "having no detrimental impact on the Second Amendment."
Biden added, "The Second Amendment is not absolute." "You couldn't own a cannon when it was passed. Certain firearms were prohibited. Limits have always existed."I believe it is simply incorrect that an 18-year-old can purchase weapons of war that are designed to kill. The President said, "It really goes against common sense."
He wondered aloud, "Where is the backbone?" "Where is the guts to take on a formidable lobby?"
The President said on Wednesday that Congress could take "one modest step" right away by confirming Steve Dettelbach, his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Dettelbach vowed earlier Wednesday at a Senate confirmation hearing that he would not be influenced by political considerations if he was confirmed.
"The Senate should confirm him immediately and without delay," Biden stated. "Please deliver the nomination to my office." Action is required."
The attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which left 21 people dead and 17 others injured, was the bloodiest school shooting in in a decade, jolting a nation still reeling from a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, just 10 days prior.
On Wednesday, law enforcement officials began to provide details about how the shooting occurred as new information about the incident became available. After shooting his grandma, the suspect drove to a local school, entered adjacent classrooms, and opened fire on a group of students and faculty. Officers forced their way inside the barricaded room, where one of them was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer.
According to a CNN count, Tuesday's atrocity was the second-deadliest school shooting since 2012, when 26 children and adults were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Biden mentioned the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in his national address on Tuesday night.
"I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this again when I became President," he stated. "How many small toddlers saw their buddies die like though they were on a battlefield for God's sake?" They're going to have to deal with it for the rest of their life."Biden issues a police reform executive order.
Biden made the remarks during a signing ceremony for an executive order targeted at federal enforcement reforms on Wednesday.
The executive order, which was signed on the second anniversary of George Floyd's police killing, is more limited than the sweeping legislation that has been stymied in Congress by Republican opposition.
Members of Floyd's family, families of other people slain by cops, members of Congress, members of the law enforcement community, and members of the Cabinet were also in attendance.
At the ceremony, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the families present, stating that while the order to address police reform will not alleviate their suffering, it is "a long delayed, vital step forward."
The order bans chokeholds, expands the use of body-worn cameras, and limits no-knock warrants, among other things.
The order also requires the Justice Department to build a new national database of police misbehavior that will be used by all federal law enforcement agencies and used for federal employee checks. State and local cops that engage in federal joint task teams will be screened using the database.
Biden's directive also restores and strengthens Obama-era restrictions on the transfer of military equipment to local police agencies, which the Trump administration had rolled back.
Biden committed to do "everything" in his power to pass police reform during his speech on Wednesday, and he pushed Congress to adopt the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act once more.
"Your daddy's name will be known for a long time, not simply as a hashtag. We will ensure that his memory, as well as the legacies of so many others, be recognized today as a nation. It is not their death that is important, but rather what we do in their honor. Purpose, "Floyd's daughter, Gianna, was addressed by Biden.
Biden invited Gianna to join him at the signing desk after he completed the order.
Harris then leaned over and handed her the pen that Biden had used to sign the order just moments before.
After then, the President addressed the throng, saying: "When I first saw her, she told me something. … 'My papa is going to change the world,' she seriously told me."
On Wednesday, the story was amended to reflect new information.
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