Biden calls for tighter gun background checks as it emerges Boulder 'shooter bought assault rifle 6 days earlier'

JOE Biden called on US lawmakers to tighten gun background checks and to ban assault weapons after the Boulder shooting massacre.

The president called on lawmakers to act after 10 people were shot dead in a grocery store by the alleged 21-year-old gunman, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, who bought AR-15 style weapon six days before.





Speaking about the tragedy this afternoon, President Joe Biden said: "We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

"We can close loopholes in our gun background check system.

"This is not a partisan issue — it’s an American issue that will save lives. Congress needs to act.

"I don’t need to wait another minute — or another hour — to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future."

Alissa allegedly bought the assault rifle six days before the shooting, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.

"We should also ban assault weapons in the process," he added, calling on Congress to act in the wake of such horrific gun violence and describing Talley as a "real American hero."

Biden also ordered the White House flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the 10 victims of the shooting, who ranged in age from 20 to 65.


He thanked the local police in Boulder and called out the heroism of Police Officer Eric Talley, 51, a dad of kids as young as five, who was one of the first on the scene.

Talley, who was gunned down as he raced inside to tackle the killer minutes after the rampage began at 2.30pm, was praised by the US president as a "the definition of an American hero."

"When he pinned on that badge yesterday morning, he didn't know what the day would bring," Biden told reporters.

Former president Barack Obama echoed Biden's sentiments today, remarking: "A once-in-a-century pandemic cannot be the only thing that slows mass shootings in this country.




"We shouldn’t have to choose between one type of tragedy and another.

"[O]ur lives may soon start to return to normal after a long, difficult year filled with so much loss.

"But in a normal life, we should be able to buy groceries without fear."

"In addition to grief, we are also feeling a deep, familiar outrage that we as a nation continue to tolerate these kinds of random, senseless acts day in and day out without taking any significant action," wrote the former president.

"It will take time to root out the disaffection, racism and misogyny that fuels so many of these senseless acts of violence. But we can make it harder for those with hate in their hearts to buy weapons of war."

Denny Strong, 20, Neven Stoanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Police Officer Eric Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, Jody Waters, 65 were the 10 victims.




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