Local gun store’s thoughts on President Biden’s gun violence speech

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Nearly two weeks after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, President Biden delivered a speech regarding gun violence.

Some of what his speech covered were stricter laws and raising the age to purchase guns.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 213 mass shootings in America in 2022.

With Biden's plan to ban assault weapons, some say it will not solve any gun violence.

Dimitri Karras who is the voice for Firearms Unknown, a local gun store, says the best thing we can do about gun violence is to accept the type of society we have in this country.

“The fact of the matter is the world is a dangerous place, the world is gonna continue to be a dangerous place. The best thing we can do is accept the reality of the world we live in and get the kid's security when they’re in school. It’s really that simple.”

A local gun owner, Jeremiah Francis, feels as though the focus should be on mental health rather than assault weapons.

“I think the problem is people, not guns. Responsible gun ownership has always been a staple of American life and honestly, I think it should be more focused on mental health and identifying the individuals who have the capacity of committing such horrific acts,” said Francis.

Karras says the age of purchase for guns should be unanimous among anything that comes with being an adult like buying cigarettes or guns.

“I think as a country we need to decide what the age of adulthood is and then when you reach that age you get the full rights and responsibilities and privileges of being an adult in our society," said Karras. "I mean honestly it really doesn’t make any sense to allow people to join the marines corps and to go off and fight and die in our wars but then you can’t buy a gun yourself at home or you can’t have a beer."

The current age of purchase for an assault rifle is 18-years-old.

During Biden's speech, he said if we can’t ban assault weapons, we should raise the age of purchase from 18 to 21.

Research from the CDC shows that every day more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and over 200 are shot and wounded.