US President Joe Biden this Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, saying “it’s time to take action” against gun control in the country.
“It’s time to act. It’s time to speak up. Not as Democrats or Republicans. But as friends, as neighbors, as parents… as fellow Americans.”said Biden, among family and friends mourning the loss of 19 children and two teachers, shot dead at a Texas elementary school last year.
“I know progress has been difficult for a long time, but there will come a time when our voices will be so loud, our determination so clear, that it can no longer be stopped. Let’s act.”insisted.
To mark the tragic date, the city of Uvalde scheduled a private ceremony and candlelight vigil, and the Texas government declared a moment of silence late morning when the gunman entered Robb Elementary School last year. a decade.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Since the beginning of the year, 85 children under the age of 11 have been killed by firearms and 491 between the ages of 12 and 17.
In 2020, the under-19 firearm death rate was 5.6 per 100,000. By comparison, neighboring Canada recorded 0.8 per 100,000 deaths, the second highest gun-related death rate among children and adolescents in high-income countries.
Source: DN
