Biden calls for tougher gun laws after Sacramento shooting

Update (Apr. 4, 2021): Sacramento police have arrested a suspected gunman in the shooting that killed six people in a popular nightlife area over the weekend.

Original Story (Apr. 4, 2021): President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to pass tougher gun laws in the wake of a mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 wounded in Sacramento, California, on Sunday. Sacramento police said they were searching for at least two people who opened fire on the outskirts of the city’s downtown entertainment district.

The incident is one of 119 mass shootings so far this year, according to data from The Gun Violence Archive. Researchers define mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are killed, excluding the shooter, in a public place. Last weekend alone, 53 people were injured or killed in shootings across the country.

“The scale of violence that just happened in our city is unprecedented during my 27 years here,” Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester told reporters during a news conference at police headquarters. “We are shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy. But we are also resolved as an agency to find those responsible and to secure justice for the victims and the families.”

Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.

The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars, and police said they were investigating whether the altercation was connected to the shooting. Video from witnesses posted on social media showed rapid gunfire for at least 45 seconds as people screamed and ran for cover.

Congress has remained deadlocked on gun reform for years along partisan lines and many doubt lawmakers will act. According to a recent USA Today poll, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans think the odds of action are excellent or good. More than three-quarters rate them fair or poor.