New Delhi: As the United States celebrated Independence Day on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden called for stricter gun control measures while denouncing a “wave” of shootings ahead of the holiday.


According to AFP, five people were killed and two children were injured in a shooting in the city of Philadelphia on Monday. Another shooting overnight in Fort Worth, Texas, claimed the lives of three and injured eight, reported CNN.








As of Tuesday afternoon, the United States had already seen several incidents of shootings on Independence Day. The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) reported that five individuals were injured in Lansing, Michigan, while four people were hurt in Charlotte, North Carolina.


Taking to Twitter, Biden wrote, "This week, our nation has again endured a wave of tragic shootings — just as we mark one year since the tragedy in Highland Park, Illinois. Jill and I grieve for those lost, and as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when we’ll be free from gun violence."




Notably, last year at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, just outside Chicago, a gunman killed seven and wounded dozens.


"Over the last few days, our nation has once again endured a wave of tragic and senseless shootings in communities across America," Biden said in a statement, mentioning the shootings in Philadelphia, Fort Worth, and Lansing, as well as recent instances of gun violence in Baltimore, Wichita, Kansas and Chicago.


"As our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence," the president said.


There have been at least 346 mass shootings in the United States this year, AFP reported citing GVA's archive. The GVA defines a mass shooting as a gun-related incident in which at least four or more people are wounded or killed.


More than 44,000 people were killed by guns last year, with about 24,000 of them by suicide.


"Much more must be done... to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart," Biden said, praising gun control measures passed in Illinois after the Highland Park attack.


"I urge other states to follow Illinois' lead, and continue to call upon Republican lawmakers in Congress to come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reforms that the American people support," Biden added.