On Gun, Police Violence, ‘We Have To Do Better,’ Biden Says
Family members of Tyre Nichols were watching as President Joe Biden spoke passionately on the issues of gun violence and police killings. "Let’s come together and finish the job on police reform," Biden argued. He also called for a new assault weapons ban.
Sacramento Bee:
As Tyre Nichols’ Family Watches, Biden Urged Assault Weapons Ban
With the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols and the former Mayor of Monterey Park — still reeling from feeling the effects of last month’s gunfire — looking on, President Joe Biden made a passionate plea to the nation Tuesday for a new assault weapons ban and help for neighborhoods plagued by violent crime.. “I know most cops and their families are good, decent people, the vast majority. They risk their lives every time they put that shield on. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better,” the president said to a joint session of Congress in his State of the Union address. ... One of the remedies to stop this sort of violence, Biden said: Revive the assault weapons ban that ended in 2004. (Lightman, 2/7)
Politico:
Biden On Police Killings: ‘We Can’t Turn Away’
President Joe Biden called for law enforcement to be held to higher standards in his State of the Union address Tuesday — exactly a month after Memphis police fatally beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. “All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment,” Biden said. “We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts, what we need to do. Let’s come together and finish the job on police reform.” Biden in his speech didn’t directly call for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, but he noted that he previously signed an executive order “banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act” for federal officers. (Olander, 2/7)
Reuters:
Biden Says Police Who 'Violate' Trust Should Be Held Accountable In State Of The Union
He also said there was need for more first responders and other professionals to address growing mental health and substance abuse challenges. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had called on Biden to use his State of the Union speech to push for police reform in the wake of Nichols' death. (Singh, 2/7)
Tyre Nichols' parents and Brandon Tsay attended the event —
AP:
State Of The Union 2023: Biden Addresses Congress
With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties invited guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, were among those seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests included the rock star/humanitarian Bono and 26-year-old Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting. “There’s no words to describe the heartache and grief of losing a child,” Biden said after introducing RowVaughn and Rodney Wells to a standing ovation. He called on Congress to “rise to this moment” to make meaningful change in policing. (Miller, Kim and Mascaro, 2/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Brandon Tsay's State Of The Union Moment
Brandon Tsay, the 26-year-old who made worldwide headlines for disarming the Monterey Park gunman last month, stood and waved to the crowd of lawmakers as President Biden labeled him a “hero” and called for new gun control measures in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. “He thought he was going to die, but then he thought about the people inside,” Biden said as Tsay won a rare bipartisan ovation. “In that instant, he found the courage to act and wrestled the semiautomatic pistol away from a gunman who had already killed 11 people at another dance studio.” (Bierman, 2/7)
More on the killing of Tyre Nichols —
The Wall Street Journal:
New Memphis Lawsuit Alleges Police Brutality By Officers Charged In Death Of Tyre Nichols
A Memphis resident filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit Tuesday alleging he was unjustly beaten by a group of police officers that included those charged with killing Tyre Nichols. The alleged excessive force happened three days before Mr. Nichols’s fatal encounter with police. The suit seeks $5 million in compensatory damages. (Timms, 2/7)
The New York Times:
Officers Manhandled And Beat Tyre Nichols. We Tracked Each One’s Role.
Tyre Nichols faced an onslaught of impossible demands and brutal beatings at the hands of Memphis police officers on Jan. 7 — much of which was caught on three police body cameras and a street camera. ... Video also captures two additional police officers arriving during the final blows and one supervisor, a lieutenant, who appeared about six minutes later as Mr. Nichols lay on the street severely injured. At least 14 responders were at the scene before the ambulance arrived, including 12 law enforcement officers, footage shows. The findings from The Times’s visual analysis were corroborated by documents from the officers’ disciplinary proceedings released by the state of Tennessee on Tuesday. (Cardia, Jhaveri, Lutz, Reneau, Singhvi and Stein, 2/7)
In other gun-related news from across the U.S. —
The Orange County Register:
LA County Supervisors Ban Large-Caliber Handguns, Prohibit Guns On County Property
In the wake of the mass shooting in Monterey Park, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 7 adopted two gun-control regulations, one that bans the sale of large-caliber handguns and ammunition and one that prohibits people from carrying guns in county parks, plazas, beaches and buildings — with exceptions for law enforcement, active military and others. (Scauzillo, 2/7)
Tallahassee Democrat:
Plan To Allow Permitless Concealed Guns In Florida Gains Traction As Speakers Line Up In Three Camps
There were 120 speaker cards on the desk when Rep. Spenser Roach, R-Fort Myers, gaveled the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee to order for consideration of a bill to allow the permitless carry of concealed firearms in Florida. (Call, 2/8)
Atlanta News First:
Proposed Senate Bill Seeks To Keep Guns Out Of The Hands Of Children
On Tuesday, 10 Georgia Senate Democrats sponsored a bill to penalize family members if they don’t secure or lock a firearm around someone 17 or younger. (Kousouris, 2/7)
