After the school shooting in Texas, Biden says, "we need to act"

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

After a gunman shot and killed at least 19 children at a Texas elementary school, an emotional and angry President Joe Biden called for new gun restrictions following a uniquely American tragedy.

A few hours after returning from a five-day trip to Asia that was punctuated by mass shootings across the country, Biden spoke from the White House. In his remarks, President Biden urged Congress to take action against gun violence after years of inaction - and bitterly blamed firearm manufacturers and their supporters for blocking legislation.

“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away,” Biden said. “There’s a hollowness in your chest. You feel like you’re being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out.”

’“When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” Biden said with emotion. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen?”

The president spoke emotionally in the Roosevelt Room with Jill Biden standing by his side. The president, who has lost two of his own children to gun violence, spoke about the pain of the victims' loved ones and the pain that will endure for the survivors.

25 May 2022