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Joe Biden will use a rare primetime address to the American people on Thursday evening to push Congress to pass new gun control measures in the wake of a number of deadly mass shootings.
The US president will speak “on the recent tragic mass shootings, and the need for Congress to act to pass common sense laws to combat the epidemic of gun violence that is taking lives every day”, the White House said.
Biden will deliver remarks at 7.30pm in Washington, delaying a previously planned trip to his beach house in Delaware by a few hours, according to the White House.
The president’s appeal comes on the heels of three high-profile deadly shooting rampages across the US in recent weeks, from a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, to an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earlier this week.
“We cannot as an administration address this alone. No more excuses. Thoughts and prayers are important, but are not enough. We need Congress to act,” Kamala Harris, vice-president, said on Thursday.
While the chances of any legislative compromise to tighten gun laws in the US are still seen as remote, given huge Republican opposition, a small group of senators, including Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat, and John Cornyn, the Texas Republican, has been holding talks to see if there might be an opening for a deal.
Biden hopes he can put pressure on Congress to come to an agreement by pointing out how overwhelmingly popular a number of gun control measures are, particularly modest steps such as imposing background check requirements for gun sales.
“The changes I’m suggesting aren’t radical. Almost 90 per cent of people — including Republicans and gun owners — support requiring background checks on all gun sales. You’d be hard-pressed to find something more Americans can agree on — not even apple pie is that popular,” Murphy wrote in an op-ed on Foxnews.com on Thursday.
“Red flag laws and investments in mental health are just as popular. My Republican colleagues and I don’t agree on much, but this time, I’m hopeful we can agree on this: inaction cannot be our answer,” he added.
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