President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the Nation on Thursday evening to reiterate his calls for new gun laws following several mass shootings.
Biden was slated to leave the White House for Delaware this afternoon but is delaying his trip by a few hours to deliver the remarks. The latest mass shooting came on Wednesday when a gunman killed four inside a Tulsa, Oklahoma medical center.
During his visit to Uvalde, Biden responded to calls to “do something” from residents with, “We will, we will,” as he entered the presidential limousine.
Biden said on Monday he was not in direct talks with Republicans on gun reform legislation, but thought last week's tragedy might prompt some to join Democrats in supporting a bill.
"I've been pretty motivated all along," Biden said. "You know the folks, folks who were victimized there and their families, they spent three hours and forty minutes with me. They waited all that time, and some came two hours early, and the pain is palpable, and I think a lot of it's unnecessary, so I'm gonna continue to push and we'll see how this works."
Democrats have proposed raising the age to purchase semi-automatic assault rifles, requiring background checks on all gun sales, and establishing new requirements for storing guns at home, among other items.
While such a bill could get majority support in the House, clearing the 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster in the Senate seems unlikely.
Several Republicans have expressed an openness to considering some new gun laws. Most notably has been Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who has been meeting with some Democrats on a compromise bill. Whether Cornyn and nine other Republicans would band together with Democrats on gun legislation is a tall task.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday that Biden has been giving members of Congress space to negotiate a bipartisan agreement. But Biden said earlier in the week that is willing to meet with Congress to form a compromise.
