Biden calls for ban on rifle type used in Trump attack
Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on a Saturday by a narrow margin. The former president was hit by a bullet near his ear. Besides the alleged shooter, a 50-year-old firefighter and family man was killed, and two other men in the audience were severely injured.
Gun control is a highly contentious issue in the USA. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution. Attempts to tighten gun laws consistently fail in the face of opposition from conservative Republicans and the powerful gun lobby.
- Despite the dangerous incident, the US-President, Donald Trump, continued to advocate for gun rights during his presidency.
- Various rifle-types, including semiautomatic rifles, are widely available in America due to the Second Amendment and lobbying efforts.
- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has long called for stricter gun control measures, citing disproportionate gun violence in minority communities.
- In contrast, Trump's Democratic successor, Joe Biden, campaigned on a platform of gun reform, promising to introduce universal background checks and ban certain types of rifles.
- Following the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017, a bipartisan effort to improve gun laws failed, demonstrating the deep-rooted divide on the issue.
- The prohibition of certain rifle-types, as proposed by the Biden administration, remains controversial and faces stiff opposition from gun advocacy groups and conservative politicians.
