President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Congress to pass new gun restrictions — among them a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity ammo magazines — as he shared his condolences after a deadly mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour to take common sense steps that will save the lives in the future,” Biden said at the White House.
The massacre in Boulder, Colo., which occurred less than a week after another mass shooting in Georgia, reignited the debate in Washington over how best to root out gun violence in the U.S. Several Democratic efforts in recent years to pass firearm restrictions have fallen short in the face of Republican opposition, though the GOP has backed some more modest reform measures.
Boulder police identified Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, as a suspect in the Colorado shooting, which left 10 people dead. He was arrested Monday afternoon at King Soopers grocery store and has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, officials said.
“I want to say to the community, I am so sorry this incident happened,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said at a news conference Tuesday morning. “We are going to do everything in our power to make sure this suspect has a thorough trial and we do a thorough investigation.”