As President Joe Biden touted a new gun law he signed last month, a mass shooting victim’s father interrupted Biden’s address on Monday at the White House.
Manuel Oliver lost his son Joaquin in 2018 during a high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The father was among the families of past mass shooting victims invited to the White House for Monday’s event.
Oliver said on CNN’s New Day that the law passed by Congress was not enough.
“It's been a while that I've been calling out that using the word ‘celebration,’” he said. “Getting together is like we're going to a party, to a wedding today. Meanwhile, you can see these mothers in Uvalde that just saw how their kids were massacred inside a school. So, for me, it's not only not enough.”
He acknowledged that the president wanted to do more.
“I really wish there was more in this package of bills,” He said. “And I will do whatever I can to get more in this package of bills. This is not the beginning or the end. A lot of people are saying this is the beginning. No, this is part of a process. There was no reason for this event to be called as it's called right now.”
Biden told security to “let him talk” after initially telling him to “sit down.”
The president also welcomed several members of Congress to the ceremony, including Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who helped lead negotiations with Democrats.
The bill passed the House with mainly Democratic support. The bill was approved by a 234-193 margin with 14 Republicans joining all 220 Democrats in passage.
The Senate approved the legislation by a 65-34 margin, with the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 14 other GOP members. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy encouraged House Republicans to vote against it.
The bill had opposition from the National Rifle Association.
The legislation will include the following:
- Funds for states to implement red flag laws
- Family mental health spending
- Getting rid of the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by including those convicted of domestic abuse in background checks
- Funding for school-based mental health programs
- Funding for school safety resources
- Clarifying the language of a federally licensed firearm dealer
- Investments in telehealth programs
- Implementing a waiting period on gun purchases for those under age 21
- Penalties for straw purchases of firearms
