Joe Biden proposes ban on assault-style weapons and gun age limits

US President, Joe Biden has suggested the US ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines to tackle the “carnage” of gun violence.

In a primetime speech to the nation from the White House on Thursday, June 2, Biden said too many everyday places in America had become “killing fields”.

Biden said if Congress cannot outlaw such weapons, it should seek to raise the age to buy them from 18 to 21.

Biden’s comments come come after a string of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Even as he prepared to speak on Thursday, multiple people were shot in an attack at a cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.

In remarks from the White House, he also called for expanding federal background checks and nationwide red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to remove weapons from anyone deemed dangerous.

“This is not about taking away anyone’s guns,” said Mr Biden.

“This isn’t about taking away anyone’s rights,” he added. “It’s about protecting children.”

“Why in God’s name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30-round magazines, that let mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes?” the Democratic president continued.

Biden then touted a 1994 ban on assault-style weapons that he helped pass.

Private gun ownership is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and the law entities every American to buy and carry guns.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 233 mass shootings in the US so far this year. The gun violence archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, excluding the shooter.