Following the latest mass shooting in a Northern California rail yard on Wednesday, President Joe Biden urged Congress to implement tighter gun control legislation. Authorities say a public transportation employee opened fire on coworkers at the downtown San Jose rail yard on Wednesday, killing eight people before killing himself.

The shooting comes after a year of rising gun violence and record gun sales throughout the country. According to law enforcement authorities, the shooter was identified as Samuel Cassidy, a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employee.

In his first joint address to lawmakers in April, Biden called on Congress to take action on gun control, including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and addressing background check loopholes. At the time, Biden stated, "This shouldn't be a red or blue issue," NBC News reported.

Legislators, on the other hand, appear to be at odds about enacting meaningful reforms. He reiterated that appeal in his statement on Wednesday.

In a statement, Biden said, "I have the solemn obligation of ordering the flag to be lowered at half-staff once again. Just weeks after doing so following the mass killings at spas in and around Atlanta; a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado; a residence in Rock Hill, South Carolina; and a FedEx plant in Indianapolis, Indiana."

Per The Hill, Joe Biden expressed his desire for Congress to "take prompt action and heed the cry of the American people, including the vast majority of gun owners, to help end this epidemic of gun violence in America" in a subsequent statement. 

Vice President Kamala Harris described the incident as "extremely sad" while addressing reporters at an event on broadband infrastructure. Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, lives in San Jose with her family.

Authorities say eight people were killed in a shooting at a rail yard in the city on Wednesday morning. According to Deputy Russell Davis of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, employees of the Valley Transportation Authority, where the incident occurred, were among the victims.

Around 6:30 a.m. PDT, a shooting occurred at a light rail station near the sheriff's department and the local airport. The building serves as a transit control center, as well as a train storage and maintenance yard.

The incident in San Jose is the most recent mass shooting in recent months. Multiple people have been killed in shootings near Atlanta, Boulder, Colorado, and Indianapolis. Biden has called for Congress to implement tighter gun laws in the wake of the shootings, but there has been little movement on legislation.

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Biden's ATF nominee faces GOP scrutiny on gun control support

Senate Republicans grilled President Joe Biden's nomination to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives on Wednesday about previous statements he made while working for significant gun control groups. Before retiring from the ATF in 2012, David Chipman spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with three other Biden Justice Department nominees, in an effort by the Democratic-controlled committee to speed up the confirmation process.

Chipman's nomination has sparked strong Republican opposition, but GOP senators are unlikely to be able to stop him from being confirmed. Chipman is "hostile to our rights and way of life," according to 20 Republican state attorneys general who wrote to the committee, urging Congress to reject his nomination, The Washington Examiner reported.

The session took place just after news of a tragic mass shooting in San Jose surfaced. Senators questioned Chipman on his support for the 1994 "assault weapons" ban, disarming school resource officers, and the ability of private citizens to own a handgun, among other topics.

The nominee emphasized that his political views on firearms would not prevent him from enforcing existing laws. But Republican lawmakers were not convinced.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah, a Republican, questioned Chipman about earlier statements on whether law enforcement officers should scrutinize those who have previously failed background checks as possible violent offenders. Chipman claimed that a comment he made on Reddit in 2019 was taken out of context. He was only referring to persons who don't disclose their criminal status on federal gun forms after committing a felony.

Republican lawmakers jumped on Chipman's remarks to question him about the president's son, Hunter Biden. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley demanded that Chipman commits to looking into Hunter Biden's recent admission that he was using hard drugs while purchasing a firearm from a dealer. According to sources, when asked if he was an unlawful user of or addicted to any substance, he answered "no" on the federal guns background check form.

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