Biden calls for assault weapons ban, making gun manufacturers liable for shootings

President Biden on Thursday made an emotional appeal for ambitious new gun laws including a ban on military-style rifles, as lawmakers wrangled bitterly over how to prevent more bloodshed in America.

In an address to the nation, the president prodded Congress that “it is time to act” and repeatedly declared “enough” about the slaughters in schools and other mass shootings that have become all too routine in the U.S.

If Congress would not ban assault weapons outright, Mr. Biden said the least lawmakers could do would be to raise the age of purchase for semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.

Mr. Biden also urged lawmakers to expand background checks for gun purchases, change liability laws to allow gun manufacturers to be sued for shootings and make gun owners liable for not keeping their firearms locked up.