Protesters demonstrated in front of the White House. The father of one of the teenagers who were killed at the school climbed a crane 150 feet (46 meters) across the street to mark the Valentine’s Day anniversary.
“The entire world will listen today to Joaquin. Manuel Oliver, the father of his son, tweeted that he had a very important message. “I requested a meeting with Joe Biden one month ago but never got it.”
Oliver displayed a sign with a photo of his son, and criticised Biden for the number of gun deaths since he became president. Two other protesters, including the father, were also taken into custody. They were accused of breaking into a building site and scaling the equipment.
This was one of many efforts to raise awareness about gun violence. A new website that records 47,000 gun deaths (including suicides) since Biden’sinauguration. The tracker lists the deaths and injuries of young people as well as mass shootings. Users are encouraged to contact Biden and other officials.
“As a candidate Joe Biden had promised to prioritise gun violence prevention. Joe Biden as president has not,” stated Igor Volsky (founder and executive director of Guns Down America).
Biden’s attempts to pass gun legislation have been blocked by Congress members, particularly Republicans. His nominee for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also pulled. They are asking Biden to establish a national office to combat gun violence and make a new nomination for the ATF’s head.
Biden stated in a statement that the protest to end gun violence was “extraordinary”
“We cannot bring back the ones we have lost. He said that we can all come together to fulfill our first responsibility as a government and democracy: to keep one another safe.” “It is time to fulfill that solemn obligation for Parkland, all the lost and all those who are left behind.
Karine Jean-Pierre, deputy press secretary, stated that Biden is doing all he can from his position at the White House and from the federal government, even though there is no appetite from Congress for new gun laws.
In 2018, a former student opened fire on the high school, killing 14 students and three teachers. Valentine’s Day 2018 saw the massacre that killed 14 students and three staff members. This inflamed national debates about guns.
David Hogg, a former Stoneman Douglas student, is now a vocal gun control advocate. They were protesting in front the White House on Monday. A sign that lists the number of gun deaths since Biden was president blared from a truck driving around Washington.
Hogg stated, “We demand that he takes actions to save lives before there is another Parkland.”
Gun violence in schools has only increased since the Parkland shooting. According to an analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety, there were at least 136 incidents of gunfire on school grounds from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, 2012.
Biden took action to reduce the use of ” ghost firearm“, homemade firearms without serial numbers that can be traced and often bought without background checks. He has worked to tighten regulations regarding pistol-stabilizing braces, such as the one that was used in the shooting in Boulder, Colorado that left 10 dead. He also encourages cities to use their COVID-19 relief money to manage gun violence.
There are limitations to legislation when there is strong resistance among many members of Congress to gun-related measures. Even after twenty children and six adults were murdered in 2012 Sandy Hook school shootings, Connecticut, the strongest effort of recent years was unsuccessful. Six years later, Parkland occurred.
Biden, a Democrat said he has asked Congress members to fund violent crime reduction and that they must pass legislation requiring background checks for all gun sales, banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and ending immunity for gun makers.
The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center examined school attacks across the country from 2006-18. It found that most attackers were bullied, and that warning signs were present. Researchers found that 94% of the attackers discussed their plans and how they planned to attack others, with 75% being detected for discussing their plots. Around 36% of the possible attacks were stopped within two days.
