WASHINGTON: In a prime-time address from the White House, US President Joe Biden asked Congress to act on gun violence. 

Biden urged Congress to outlaw assault-style guns and high-capacity magazines, or at the very least raise the purchasing age from 18 to 21, in his presentation on Thursday night.  Expanding background checks, adopting "red flag" regulations, and eliminating the liability shield for gun makers and dealers were among the other recommendations.  The remarks came after a string of horrific shootings in the United States in recent weeks.

On Sunday, Biden travelled to Uvalde, Texas, to meet with families of the victims and survivors of a school shooting on May 24, in which an 18-year-old gunman used an AR-15-style rifle, a popular range of semiautomatic weapons, to kill 19 children and two teachers. The gunman was killed by responding officers on the scene.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans are negotiating gun reform ideas, but it's unclear how much of the talk will translate into action.  Also on Thursday, a House committee adopted a package of gun control legislation along party lines, in reaction to recent mass shootings. The package was dismissed as politicised by Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

"No one wants to experience another catastrophe. Nobody wants something like this to happen again. That's why it's disappointing that Democrats rushed to a markup today in what appears to be more of a show than a genuine endeavour to improve public safety or find solutions "he said.

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