10 years after Sandy Hook school shooting, Biden says ‘determined’ to ban assault weapons

On the tenth-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook elementary school tragedy that shocked America, U.S. President Joe Biden said that the country should feel a "collective guilt" for its failure to tackle gun violence.Biden said that he is "determined" to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines like the ones used in what is often considered US' worst-ever school shooting.

Watch |Survivors recount horrors of Sandy Hook School Shooting after 10 years

He added the nation has a "moral obligation to pass and enforce laws that can prevent these things from happening again."

20 first graders, aged six or seven years, and six school employees lost their lives in the deadly shooting in Newton, Connecticut. Armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, a 20-year-old man named Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree before killing himself.

The shooting as per AFP not only shocked America but also renewed the divisive fight between pro-life and pro-gun supporters. A decade later, the debate still continues.

Another thing it did was led to a heightening of security measures at schools; schools reinforced their doors, and windows, students were taught how to respond to an "active shooter" situation, while staff underwent training on how to barricade classrooms.

However, tougher restrictions on guns remained missing.

In May of this year, a similar shooting in Uvalde, Texas claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. In theaftermath of this tragedy, tougher national restrictions on guns expanding background checks and reinforcing measures to take away dangerous weapons from potentially dangerous people were passed.

But still, a law that expired in 2004, which banned military-style large-capacity weapons remains missing from action. Even after the country suffers through mass shootings, the vital law hasn't been renewed as it falls short of winning the backing of the second amendment supporting Republicans.

(With inputs from agencies)

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