Roughly 1 in 20 Americans own an AR-15 rifle as firearm’s popularity explodes despite role in mass killings

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Following the shooting in Nashville on 27 March, President Biden once again called on a divided Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, saying that it’s “about time that we began to make some more progress.” “How many more children have have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up and act to pass the assault weapons ban, to close loopholes in our background check system, or to require the safe storage of guns,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said from the briefing room. open image in gallery President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly urged lawmakers to renew a federal assault weapons ban, speaks from the White House about a school shooting in Nashville on 27 March. The president also demanded Congress renew the federal assault weapons ban and “eliminate gun manufacturer immunity from liability” as the number of mass shootings in the US within the first few months of 2023 surges above 100. The president will need members of Congress to pass any measures towards a so-called “universal” background check process for firearm sales and to renew the assault weapons ban that expired nearly 20 years ago.