Biden ups calls for gun reform on late George Floyd’s 50th birthday

President Biden on Saturday reiterated his commitment to fighting gun violence on what would have been the late George Floyd’s 50th birthday.

“George Floyd should be alive. He should be celebrating his 50th birthday with his young daughter Gianna, family, and friends,” Biden wrote in a statement. “He deserved so much more.”

“Today, we join his family to honor his life and legacy,” he added. “And we remember the tragedy and injustice of his death that sparked one of the largest civil rights movements in our nation’s history and inspired the world.”

Legislation with his namesake — the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — is currently stalled in the House, as Republicans and Democrats struggle to agree on some components, including the end to no-knock warrants and qualified immunity. 

The bill was introduced in 2021 after Floyd was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that our nation has never fully lived up to its highest ideal of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” he argued on Saturday.

Biden signed an executive order with some elements from the bill: including a chokehold ban, restrictions on no-knock warrants and establishing a police misconduct database. The order also reallocated the use of federal resources to state and local agencies.

But, the president pushed Congress to action.

“We know that implementing real and lasting change at the state and local levels requires Congress to act,” he said Saturday. “I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability and urge Congress to pass meaningful police reform and send it to my desk. I will sign it.”

Biden has been a staunch supporter of gun reform in policing following an increase in mass shootings across the nation. In September, the White House announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  

The office will have four responsibilities, including implementation, identifying new actions, expanding a coalition of partners in states and cities, and coordinating support for survivors like mental health care and financial support.

“George Floyd’s memory reminds us that there is more work to do to redeem the soul of America,” Biden wrote Saturday.

“Let us recommit to changing hearts and minds while enacting policies and laws that ensure our nation lives up to its founding idea: that we’re all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives,” he concluded.