‘We can’t continue to accept this as normal’: Biden condemns Georgia school shooting

WASHINGTON: Expressing condolences for the victims of a shooting incident at a school in Georgia, President Joe Biden has called on Republicans to work with Democrats in the US Congress to pass gun safety legislation to help prevent future gun violence in the United States.

At least four people, including two students, have been killed and nine others were injured when a fellow student opened fire in a high school in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday, CNN reported.

Biden described the shooting incident as “another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart”.

“Jill (Biden) and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed. What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart”, Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

The US president lamented that students across the country are “learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write”.

“We cannot continue to accept this as normal. We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local levels and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life”, Biden said.

Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed in Winder, Georgia.

Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to… pic.twitter.com/ncjrdNxQUT

— President Biden (@POTUS) September 4, 2024

Further, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the gun violence epidemic in the US and highlighted his efforts to address the issue, including the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

“Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me. It’s why I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the most meaningful gun safety bill in decades–and have announced dozens of gun safety executive actions. I also established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more”, the US president said.

Biden called on Republicans to work with Democrats in Congress to pass gun safety legislation to help prevent future gun violence and stated that ‘enough is enough.’

“After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but they will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart”, Biden said.

US vice president Kamala Harris also took to X and expressed condolences for the people who are impacted by this shooting and describe it as a “senseless tragedy”.

“Today, Doug and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This is a senseless tragedy — and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for”, said Kamala Harris.

Georgia Governor Brian P Kemp also posted on X and stated that “I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”

“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.” he added.

Meanwhile, the suspected gunman is in custody and was identified as 14-year-old Colt Cray, a student of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, about an hour outside of Atlanta. Two of those killed were students and two were teachers. Law enforcement agencies are still investigating the shooting and the motive behind it.

The high school had received an earlier phone threat, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN. The phone call Wednesday morning warned there would be shootings at five schools, and that Apalachee would be the first. It is not known who placed the call. Officials tell CNN they are investigating the call and where it originated.

The US has suffered at least 385 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are shot. That’s an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day. (ANI)