Deadly US mass shootings put pressure on President Joe Biden to deliver on gun control

Yet Biden, who took office in January, faces an uphill battle in winning congressional passage of gun-related measures he pledged during his presidential campaign. The United States has the world's highest rate of civilian gun ownership, RAND Corp research shows. There were more than 43,000 U.S. gun deaths last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. "I've beaten the National Rifle Association nationally twice, passed meaningful gun legislation at the federal level, and I'll do it again," Biden said last year at one of several campaign events focused on the issue, referring to the influential gun rights group closely aligned with Republicans.

"As president, I promise you I will get these weapons of war off the street again," Biden added, referring to a national ban on assault-style weapons that lapsed in 2004. The numerous U.S. mass shootings have failed to prompt lawmakers to pass gun control legislation, thanks in large part to opposition from congressional Republicans and the NRA. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment and many Americans cherish gun rights.