At least four people, including two students, have been killed and nine others were injured when a fellow student opened fire in a high school in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday. Following this incident US President Joe Biden call for a ban of assault weapons.
While talking to media Joe Biden said that enough is enough, As a nation we cannot accept the concretive gun violence. We cannot continue to accept this as normal. We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local levels and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life," Biden said. Further, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the gun violence epidemic in the US and highlighted his efforts to address the issue, including the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Meanwhile, the suspected gunman is in custody and was identified as 14-year-old Colt Cray, a student of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about an hour outside of Atlanta. Two of those killed were students and two were teachers. Law enforcement agencies are still investigating the shooting and the motive behind it.
The high school had received an earlier phone threat, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN. The phone call Wednesday morning warned there would be shootings at five schools, and that Apalachee would be the first. It is not known who placed the call. Officials tell CNN they are investigating the call and where it originated.
The US has suffered at least 385 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are shot. That's an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day.
"After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say 'enough is enough' and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but they will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart," Biden said.
Also Read: Joe Biden's son, Hunter pleads guilty to all nine charges in federal tax case
US vice president Kamala Harris also took to X and expressed condolences for the people who are impacted by this shooting and describe it as a "senseless tragedy." In her post she said "Today, Doug and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This is a senseless tragedy -- and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for.
As per the CNN report, The high school had received an earlier phone threat, multiple law enforcement. The phone call Wednesday morning warned there would be shootings at five schools, and that Apalachee would be the first. It is not known who placed the call. Officials tell CNN they are investigating the call and where it originated.
The US has suffered at least 385 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are shot. That's an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day.