“If we really want something that is going to be lasting, we need to pass legislation”, Harris told CBS. It is time for Congress to act … There’s no reason why we have assault weapons on the streets of a civil society. They are weapons of war they are designed to kill a lot of people quickly."
On Monday, a 21-year-old man armed with an AR-15-style handgun opened fire in a grocery store in the state of Colorado, killing 10, police said. The suspect, Ahmad Alissa, purchased the weapon just six days earlier, according to media reports.
The shooting took place less than a week after a gunman, Robert Long, killed eight people in Atlanta in a series of attacks on spas.
The two incidents are among seven mass shootings across the US in the past week.
Past efforts by Congress to pass new gun control measures have stalled in the Senate, where Republicans consider firearms restrictions an attack on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which allows private ownership of guns.
Gun control advocates claim that Biden could impose restrictions with a series of executive orders, which could be reversed by future presidents. Opponents could also delay implementation of executive actions with lawsuits.