President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused MAGA Republicans of wanting to defund the police and “abolish the FBI” as he pushed for tougher gun laws.
Speaking in Monterey Park, California, the president sought to comfort a grieving congregation still devastated by a mass shooting during January’s Lunar New Year celebrations. The gunman shot 20 people and killed 11 with a semi-automatic weapon before killing himself.
Biden described January 21 as “a day of celebration and light turning into fear and darkness.”
“I’m here to mourn with you, to pray with you, to let you know that you are loved and not alone,” Biden told the crowd.
President Joe Biden greets Brandon Tsay (left), the hero of the Monterey Park shooting
His audience of families affected by the shooting and community leaders listened in silence as he told them he understood how their “sense of security” was “shattered.”
The silence turned to applause as Biden spoke about Bradon Tsay helping stop the shooter and as he praised the multiple Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Tsay greeted the President at Los Angeles International Airport and was also in the auditorium for his remarks.
In his speech, the president made an emotional appeal for stricter gun laws as he signed an executive order to increase the number of background checks.
“Last week I committed in my budget that we invest more in safer communities and invest in mental health services for those affected by gun violence. Republicans in Congress should pass my budget instead of calling for cuts to these services or for the police to be abolished or for the FBI to be defunded,” he said.
Biden reiterated his call for Congress to ban assault and high-capacity weapons, something unlikely with Republicans who control the House of Representatives.
“Ban assault weapons. Ban them again. Do it now. Enough. Do something. Do something big,” said the President, his voice rising as he spoke.
Executive action allows Biden to bypass Capitol Hill.
His order will increase the number of background checks on gun purchases, promote better and safer firearm storage and ensure US law enforcement gets the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer.
“It directs the Attorney General to get as close as possible to universal background checks without additional legislation,” a senior administration official said of the order.
“There are a few policy ideas that are more popular with the American people than universal background checks, but Congress isn’t acting.”
A woman in the crowd at Biden’s speech in Monterey Park wipes away a tear
Biden urged Congress to take action against gun violence. “Ban assault weapons. Ban them again. Do it now. Enough. Do something. Do something big,’ he said
Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the gunman (right), greeted President Biden at the airport upon his arrival in Los Angeles
Biden’s rhetoric on gun laws has escalated during his presidency as gun violence has continued to rise amid the COVID pandemic.
His proposed budget includes funds to hire 100,000 additional street police officers, as well as funds for crime prevention strategies and community violence interventions.
Republicans initially used the “defund police” call against the Democrats. But Democrats are trying to turn the tables, using the GOP’s opposition to $1.9 billion to increase Capitol security and fund police officers after the Jan. 6 riots to argue that Republicans want to disappoint the police.
After FBI agents searched Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home with a search warrant, some Republicans called for the agency to be disbanded.
And the president could use guns as an issue in his re-election campaign. He has not officially announced a second presidential bid, but said he intends to run again.
Eleven died and nine were injured in the January shooting at Monterey Park
The 11 victims of the horrific mass shooting in Monterey Park, which took place during the Lunar New Year celebrations, are identified as follows: My Nhan, 65, Lilian Li, 63, Xiujuan Yu, 57, Muoi Ung, 67, Hong Jian, 62, Diana Tom , 70 , Yu Kao, 72, Chia Yau, 76, Valentino Alvero, 68, Wen Yu, 64, and Ming Ma, 72,
It’s not the first time Biden has highlighted the Monterey Park shooting to advocate for stricter gun laws.
First Lady Jill Biden invited Tsay to join her at Biden’s State of the Union address in February.
After the gunman attacked the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, went to the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in the nearby Alhambra.
Tsay, a 26-year-old computer programmer whose family owns the dance studio, confronted the gunman in the lobby, wrenched his gun away and chased him out.
“He saved lives. It’s time we did the same,” Biden said in his speech to Congress. “Ban assault weapons once and for all.”
Biden is also calling for better reporting of ballistics data from federal law enforcement agencies for a clearinghouse that will allow federal, state and local law enforcement to match shell casings to guns. However, local and state law enforcement agencies are not required to report ballistics data, and many do not, making the clearing house less effective.
The President has asked the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report analyzing how gun manufacturers market to minors and use military imagery in marketing to the general public.
Congress last year passed legislation known as the Safer Communities Act, which gun control advocates see as a good start, but it doesn’t go far enough.
After the law was signed in June 2022, there were eleven more mass shootings.