President Joe Biden released a statement on Friday, condemning the shooting in Raleigh that left five dead and reiterated the need to ban assault weapons. 

A 15-year-old boy is accused of opening fire on people near the Neuse River Greenway in Raleigh, North Carolina. While names have not been released, victims include a 16-year-old boy, an off duty police officer and a woman who was critically injured just days away from her birthday. 

“Jill and I are grieving with the families in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose loved ones were killed and wounded in yet another mass shooting in America,” Biden said in the statement. “We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer.”

The president extended his gratitude towards the law enforcement who managed to contain the shooter. He went on to say that his government would work closely with the governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper and assist the local authorities. 

“Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings. Too many families have had spouses, parents, and children taken from them forever,” said the President. He then referred to the shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York decrying the fact that these were just some of the shootings in what has been an especially deadly year of shootings. 

Towards the end of his statement, the president reiterated the need for ban on assault weapons, saying that his government had passed the “most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years.” 

“We must pass an assault weapons ban. The American people support this commonsense action to get weapons of war off our streets. House Democrats have already passed it. The Senate should do the same. Send it to my desk and I’ll sign it,” he said.