Biden calls to ‘confront gun lobby’ after 18 children were killed by gunman who stormed their school

US President Joe Biden called on the United States to stand up to the gun lobby after 18 children and at least one teacher were gunned down by a young man who stormed their elementary school in Texas and was later shot dead by police.

In an address to the nation delivered from the White House, Biden said, “When in the name of God are we going to confront the gun lobby?” “The time has come to turn this pain into action for every parent, for every citizen of this country. We need to make it clear to every elected official in this country that it’s time to act.”

At the beginning of his speech, the 79-year-old Democrat said: “When I became president, I hoped that I would not have to do this.”

Biden was told of the tragedy as he was returning on the presidential plane to the United States from Japan, where he was attending a four-way summit. “I feel disgusted and tired,” he added.

Biden stressed the need for tougher laws on the sale and possession of firearms, especially assault weapons. “Weapons manufacturers have spent two decades aggressively promoting the offensive weapons that bring them the most profit,” he said.

The Democratic president has also lashed out at the Republican opposition, which has so far thwarted all of his attempts to take action in Congress, such as introducing mandatory background and criminal background checks for anyone who wants to buy a firearm before selling it.

The conservative camp also strongly rejects the reinstatement of the ban on the sale of assault rifles to civilians, a measure in the United States between 1994 and 2004 that prevented civilians from purchasing certain types of semi-automatic weapons.

Biden, a devout Catholic who lost two of his children (a girl who died in an accident while still a baby, and an adult son abducted by cancer), said in his speech that “losing a child is like taking a piece of your soul from you”.

Together with his wife, Jill, he called the United States to “pray” for the families of the victims. “They will need a lot of help and a lot of prayer,” he said.