US gun violence: ‘Enough is enough’

BIDEN: PRESIDENT VOWS TO SHUT DOWN ROGUE DEALERS Lawmakers must come to the party to end the violence.

US President Joe Biden called on lawmakers to collaborate to end gun violence during a visit to New York where recent shootings of police have highlighted a growing fear of violent disorder in American cities.

The Democrat waded into the politically treacherous issue of crime and guns as he tries to fight perceptions that he has failed to do enough to combat a soaring crime wave.

“Enough is enough,” Biden – flanked by New York mayor and ex-cop Eric Adams – told police officers, politicians and press during a meeting at the NYPD headquarters in Manhattan.

“Because we know we can do things about this, but for the resistance we’re getting from some sectors of the government and the Congress and the state legislatures and organisational structures out there,” he added.

Biden travelled with Attorney-General Merrick Garland and said he and the Justice Department official had put together a comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime in major US cities.

“First, we want to crack down on the flow of firearms used to commit violence. That includes taking on and shutting down rogue gun dealers,” Biden said.

He explained that his Justice Department was launching a “national ghost gun enforcement initiative” to tackle untraceable weapons.

“If you commit a crime with a ghost gun, not only are state and local prosecutors going to come after you, but expect federal charges and federal prosecution as well,” he warned.

The moving sight last week of thousands of New York police officers massing in Manhattan to honour two fellow officers killed while answering a domestic call in January underlined the pressure Biden is facing.

Six officers in the Big Apple have been shot just this year, and they’re among the nearly three dozen shot across the country in January, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Major crimes in the city are up 38% this year so far, reflecting spikes in most major urban areas. A January study by the Council on Criminal Justice showed homicides in 22 cities increasing 5% in 2021 over 2020 – and a whopping 44% over 2019.

According to an ABC/Ipsos poll released last week, 69% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s policies on gun violence and 64% his handling of crime. –