White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden is demanding that Congress address gun violence after a deadly shooting at a Nashville school Monday.
Three students and three adults were killed in the attack on The Covenant School in Tennessee, which Jean-Pierre called “heartbreaking” and a “sad day for our country, for the people of Nashville.”
“The president has been apprised of the situation and our team is in contact with DOJ and local officials about what is known so far,” she said. “We want to thank the president for the aid workers and pray for all the families affected by this shooting.”
“While we don’t yet know all the details of this latest tragic shooting, we know that our schools and communities are too often devastated by gun violence,” she said. “Schools should be safe spaces for our children to grow and learn and for our educators to teach.”
NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: 6 KILLED INCLUDING 3 STUDENTS, GUNMAN DEAD
This photo from the Metro Nashville Police Department shows officers at an active shooting event that took place at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)
Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden “has taken more action than any president in history on gun safety from nearly two dozen actions, including the executive order he signed last month…to the bipartisan Safer Communities Act— legislation which he signed afterwards. the tragedies in Uvalde and Buffalo.”
But she said, “we need to do more and (Biden) wants Congress to act because enough is enough.
“In his State of the Union address, the president called on Congress to do something to stop the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing families apart, tearing communities apart,” she said.
“How many more children have to be killed before Republicans in Congress take action to break the assault weapons ban? To close loopholes in our background check system, or to demand the safe storage of guns?” asked Jean-Pierre.
“We have to do something. Again, the president is calling on Congress to do something before another child is senselessly killed in an avoidable act of gun violence,” she said. “Again, we have to do something.”
Police said on Monday officers were involved with the shooter, identified as a 28-year-old woman, who carried two “assault rifles” and a handgun and killed him.
MICHIGAN JUDGE RULES OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTER’S PARENTS WILL BE CAUSED TO MATTHEW
Parents leave with their children after reports of a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)
The woman, who has yet to be identified, killed three students and three adults before being killed by police just before 10:30 a.m. local time.
Police say the gunman entered the building through a side door before climbing the stairs to the second floor, where she then opened fire.
Medical center officials say three young students were transported with gunshot wounds to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Vanderbilt. All three were pronounced dead upon arrival. Three other adults were also pronounced dead after the attack. All three were employees of the school.
Jean-Pierre also said Biden “will continue to ask Congress to pass community gun law reforms.
Police cordon off an area after the shooting at The Covenant School, Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Emily Zanotti/Fox News Digital)
“That’s something that needs to be done in the legislature. And so, you know, and that includes requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and lifting immunity for gun manufacturers who willfully knowingly putting weapons of war on the streets,” she said. “And so those are things they can do. Those are things that Congress can actually act upon when they come together and take action.”
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First Lady Jill Biden said separately, “We stand with Nashville in prayer.”
“I am truly out of words and our kids deserve better,” added Jill Biden.
Anders Hagstrom of Fox News contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.