Joe Biden blames Republicans as he decries Kentucky bank mass shooting

“How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?” he said in a statement issued by the White House.

Connor Sturgeon, 25, is the suspect named by the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Sturgeon, the police said, used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to kill five people at a bank in the state capital on Monday.

Several others were injured during the gun attack that was streamed live on social media before the gunman was fatally shot by the police during a shootout.

This is the latest in more than 140 mass shootings recorded in the US in 2023 alone and has once again renewed calls for stricter gun policy in a country that is very divisive on the issue.

But President Biden believes that Republicans should shoulder the blame as they remain non-committed and partisan to reforms put forward by Democrats.

The statement continued: “Once again, our nation is in mourning after a senseless act of gun violence. Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in the tragic shooting in Louisville, and for the survivors who will carry grief and trauma for the rest of their lives. We are grateful to the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officers who quickly and courageously stepped into the line of fire to save others.

“How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities? It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now.

“A strong majority of Americans want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms. Instead, from Florida to North Carolina to the U.S. House of Representatives, we’ve watched Republican officials double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe. It’s unconscionable, it’s reckless, and too many Americans are paying with their lives.”