Biden calls for more gun control on anniversary of Parkland shooting

"This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer," Biden said in a statement.

"Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets," he continued.

While Biden met with gun control activists to discuss potential responses to gun violence last week, he has not promoted any specific legislation and has not implemented any executive orders regarding the issue.

"All across our nation, parents, spouses, children, siblings, and friends have known the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence," Biden said. "And in this season of so much loss, last year’s historic increase in homicides across America, including the gun violence disproportionately devastating Black and Brown individuals in our cities, has added to the number of empty seats at our kitchen tables."

Last year saw an unprecedented increase in homicides across the United States, with many linking the rise to the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent lockdown measures which have disproportionately impacted the poor and vulnerable, and the aftermath of the summer's Black Lives Matter riots and the defund the police movement.