“I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said at a press conference. “We can ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in this country once again.”

Biden also called on the Senate to pass a bill already approved by the House, which tightens background checks for potential gun buyers.

“The United States Senate, and I hope some of them are listening, should immediately pass the [bills] that close loopholes in the background check system,” Biden said. “These are bills that received votes from both Republicans and Democrats in the House.”