Four killed in US school shooting, Biden says gun violence continues to tear communities

Washington, Sep 5 (IANS) At least four people were killed and several were injured in a shooting at a high school in Georgia state of the US prompting President Joe Biden to say that the senseless gun violence continues to tear communities apart in the country.

The alleged shooter has been taken into custody, as per the media reports.

The shooting took place at around 9:30 am US Eastern time at the Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

“What you see behind us is an evil thing today,” Sheriff Jud Smith of Barrow County told reporters at a news conference in which he only said there had been “multiple injuries”.

President Joe Biden said that he mourns the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence.

“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart,” the President said.

He said that students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write, adding, that the country cannot continue to accept this as normal.

“We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local level, and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life,” the President said.

He said that ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to him and that is why he has signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

“I also established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. We’ve made significant progress, but this crisis requires even more,” he said.

“We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart,” the President said.

The US government does not track school shootings. However, media reports suggest that there have been 46 such shootings in 2024, which is higher than any year since 1999 – the year of the Columbine High School shooting in which 15 were killed.

The media reports further claimed that more than 383,000 students have experienced shootings at schools.

–IANS
yrj/dan