White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to the mass shooting at a Nashville, Tennessee, elementary school by blaming Republicans for opposing gun control measures.
“We must do more, and he [Biden] wants Congress to act, because enough is enough. In his State of the Union, the President called on Congress to do something to stop the epidemic of gun violence tearing families apart, tearing communities apart,” Jean-Pierre said shortly after mourning the victims of the shooting. (RELATED: Reporter Corrects Jean-Pierre Straight To Her Face)
“How many more children have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up and act?”
– White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, responding to today’s shooting in Nashville pic.twitter.com/D85ZncUQPy
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 27, 2023
“How many more children have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up and act to pass the assault weapons ban?” she continued. Jean-Pierre did not specify what kinds of firearms fall under the “assault weapons” category.
The suspect in the Nashville mass shooting is Audrey Hale, a female who identified as transgender and reportedly used “he/him” pronouns, according to police. Hale was an artist and graphic designer who once attended the school. Three children and three adults were killed before police fatally shot the suspect.
President Biden signed bipartisan gun safety legislation in June 2022 after the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, rocked the country. The bill provided funding for crisis intervention programs geared towards “red flag” initiatives and mental health courts, while closing the “boyfriend loophole” for gun sales.