President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Washington.WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday noted the fifth anniversary of the Santa Fe High School shooting, in which eight students and two teachers were killed, and urged Congress to pass stricter gun laws.
The president called for Congress to pass laws requiring safe gun storage, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, establishing universal background checks and ending immunity from liability for gun manufacturers."One of the lasting tragedies of the shooting at Santa Fe High School — and too many other devastating school shootings — is the refusal by Congressional Republicans to enact meaningful legislation to stop gun violence," Biden said.
It required greater scrutiny of gun buyers under 21 years old and restricts access to firearms for dating partners convicted of domestic abuse. The bill also created stiffer penalties for gun trafficking and “straw” purchasing, in which someone buys a firearm for someone prohibited from owning one. And it included funding for mental health and school safety measures.