The US president, Joe Biden, lashed out on Monday against the Republicans in Congress and reproached them for not having reformed the laws that regulate the possession of firearms to prevent shootings like the one that occurred in Louisville (Kentucky).
“Once again, our nation is in mourning following a senseless act of gun violence. Jill and I pray for the lives lost and affected by today’s shooting,” the president said in a message on Twitter.
“Too many Americans are paying the price for this inaction with their lives. When will Republicans in Congress act to protect our communities?” he added.
Biden has repeatedly called on conservatives, who control the US House, to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, which allow a gun wielder to kill large numbers of people without having to stop at reload bullets.
The United States passed a federal ban on assault weapons in the country in 1994, but it expired in 2004 without being renewed by Congress.
It is still unknown what weapon the Louisville shooter used, but assault weapons, especially AR-15 rifles, have been used in many of the shootings in recent years, such as the one that occurred just two weeks ago at a high school Nashville (Tennessee), where three children and three adults died.
Shooting at Biden Louisville
The attack on Monday in Louisville has left four people dead and eight injured, including two police officers.
One of those officers is in critical condition and had to undergo surgery at the university hospital in Louisville, Louisville police lieutenant colonel Paul L. Humphrey explained at a press conference.
According to Humphrey, the assailant had a “connection” to the bank and was an employee or former employee of the financial institution.
The shooting took place this morning around 8:30 am local time, in a building in downtown Louisville where one of the headquarters of the Old National Bank, a regional bank with branches in the southeast and midwest of the United States, is located.