Biden Honours Victims of Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay Shootings
President Joe Biden has marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting in Monterey Park by paying tribute to the lives lost during a Lunar New Year celebration at the Star Dance Studio. He also remembered the seven individuals who lost their lives two days later in Half Moon Bay when a gunman opened fire at two landscaping nurseries.
The Monterey Park shooting claimed the lives of 11 people during the Lunar New Year celebration in January of the previous year. The shooter, identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran of Hemet, later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a SWAT scene in Torrance. Two days after this tragic event, Half Moon Bay experienced another shooting in which seven people were murdered at two landscaping nurseries. The suspect, Chunli Zhao, a 67-year-old resident of Half Moon Bay, was swiftly taken into custody.
President Biden, along with First Lady Jill Biden, expressed their condolences for the victims’ families on X. Reflecting on the events, Biden emphasised the urgent need for Congress to take action against gun violence. He called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, an end to immunity for gun manufacturers, the enactment of a national red flag law, universal background checks, and mandatory safe storage of guns.
In a more extensive statement from the White House, Biden acknowledged that these shootings shocked the nation’s conscience. He highlighted his administration’s response, including the creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Biden also praised the heroism of Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park shooter, preventing further bloodshed.
Biden commended California for taking action in response to the tragic events, passing over 20 new gun safety laws, and investing in proven solutions such as gun violence intervention programs. He encouraged other states to follow California’s lead in addressing the pressing issue of gun violence.
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