U.S. gun control groups demand action by Congress: report

NEW YORK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-eight gun control groups are urging lawmakers to take immediate action after the latest mass shooting killed 10 people on Saturday in a racially motivated attack at a supermarket in a primarily Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, reported The Hill on Wednesday..

In a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the groups first request that House Democrats "appropriate 750 million U.S. dollars for evidence-led Community Violence Initiatives," which they said could "break cycles of violence by addressing their root causes through meaningful investments to community-led programs."

They next urge Senate Democrats to "live up to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's pledge to hold a Senate debate" and vote on legislation to expand background checks to all gun purchases.

They also want the leaders to address the "Charleston Loophole," which allows gun purchases to move forward after three business days, even with an incomplete background check.

"Following the most recent racist act of domestic terrorism in Buffalo, New York and the increase in gun violence across the country, we are calling on you to immediately do everything and anything in your power to live up to the promises you make to voters every election year," the groups wrote in their letter.