Biden calls for end to ‘gun violence epidemic’ following Georgia school shooting that left 4 dead

A shooting at a Georgia high school Wednesday left at least four dead and nine injured.
The shooting occurred Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, The Associated Press reported.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a statement on social media the casualties, noting that the suspect is alive and in custody.
“Four dead. An additional nine taken to various hospitals with injuries. Suspect in custody and alive. Reports that the suspect has been ‘neutralized’ are inaccurate,” the GBI wrote.
Just before 10:30 a.m., “officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and Fire/EMS personnel were dispatched to the high school in reference to a reported active shooting,” the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp responded to the news of the shooting with a statement on social media, saying, “I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state.”
“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”
In a statement released Wednesday, President Joe Biden called the school shooting, “another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart.”
“Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed,” the statement reads. “What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
“… Ending this gun violence epidemic is personal to me,” Biden continued, before calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to pass gun-safety regulations.
“We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers,” the statement said. “These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart.”