‘We must do more than mourn’: President Joe Biden’s statement on mass shooting in Sacramento

President Joe Biden issued a statement Sunday condemning gun violence and mourning the loss of life in the wake of a mass shooting that killed six people and injured 12 others in downtown Sacramento.

In his statement, the president called on Congress to strengthen gun laws at the federal level, thanked first responders who rushed to the chaotic scene in wake of the gunfire and offered his condolences to the victims and their families.

The full statement issued by the White House:

Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence. In a single act in Sacramento, six individuals left dead and at least a dozen more injured. Families forever changed. Survivors left to heal wounds both visible and invisible.

I want to thank the first responders in Sacramento, and all those across the United States, who act every day to save lives. We know these lives were not the only lives impacted by gun violence last night. And we equally mourn for those victims and families who do not make national headlines.

But we must do more than mourn; we must act. That is why my Administration has taken historic executive action to implement my comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy — from standing up gun trafficking strike forces to helping cities across the country expand community violence interventions and hire more police officers for community policing.

We also continue to call on Congress to act. Ban ghost guns. Require background checks for all gun sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. Pass my budget proposal, which would give cities more of the funding they need to fund the police and fund the crime prevention and intervention strategies that can make our cities safer. These are just a few of the steps Congress urgently needs to take to save lives.