Biden calls for stricter gun laws after the worst mass shooting in Sacramento history: "We must do more than mourn"
President Biden and gun control advocates across the country are calling for congressional action on gun control after another mass shooting — this time in Sacramento, California's state capital.
Six people were killed and 12 others were injured early Sunday morning, when police say at least two people opened fire outside crowded bars in the downtown district. Authorities are searching for multiple shooters as the community waits to learn the identifies of the victims in what has become the worst mass shooting in the city's history.
"Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence," Mr. Biden said in a statement Sunday night.
"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," he said. "But we must do more than mourn; we must act."
The Sacramento shooting happened just two blocks blocks away from the steps of the California State Capitol building. Videos of the aftermath show an all too common sight: hordes of people running from gunfire.
Investigators say multiple shooters opened fire as crowds were streaming out of closing bars. While a motive for the shooting has not been identified, police are reviewing a video of a large fight that broke out right before the gunfire. It's unclear if the two are connected.
After the shooting, family members and friends rushed to the scene to try and find missing loved ones. That's where the father of 29-year-old De'vazia Turner learned his son was among the casualties.
"As I understand it, he walked out of the club, and he walked into some s--t and got shot," Frank Turner told CBS station KOVR.
Mr. Biden called on Congress to "urgently" take action on a series of proposals that he said would save lives, including banning ghost guns, requiring background checks for all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and repealing gun manufacturers' immunity from liability.
Nationwide, there have been 120 mass shootings since the start of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archives, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot or killed, not including the shooter. That averages out to more than one a day. And it's the second mass shooting in Sacramento in just five weeks.
"It is a sickness in our culture, and we must do everything we can to heal that sickness," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said at a news conference.
Investigators haven't yet said what types of weapons were used in this shooting.