Biden Speech to Include Plea for Stricter Background Checks

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden will call on lawmakers to pass stricter gun safety laws during his first joint address to Congress on Wednesday night, according to a White House official.

Amid a spate of gun violence across the U.S., Biden will urge action on three House-passed bills aimed at strengthening background checks and will press lawmakers to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, the official said.

The House-passed measures so far haven’t mustered enough votes in the narrowly divided Senate, which is split 50-50 along party lines. A two-thirds majority would be required to pass the bills in that chamber, meaning Republican support would be necessary.

In his remarks, Biden will characterize gun violence as an epidemic in America after several recent mass shootings and high-profile police killings of Black Americans. USA Today first reported Biden’s plans.

The official said the president will emphasize that polling indicates a majority of Americans, including gun owners, support some form of stricter gun limits.

He will also highlight the Justice Department’s plan to stop the spread of so-called “ghost guns,” kits that contain the components and directions to put together firearms in as little as 30 minutes.

Biden’s remarks will focus on his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. He’s also expected to discuss his accomplishments so far -- on the eve of his 100th day in office -- as well as climate change and international relations especially the U.S. relationship with China.

(Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for universal background checks and gun-control measures, is backed by Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent company Bloomberg LP.)

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