Biden says he's 'determined to ban' assault weapons, high capacity magazines

President Joe Biden on Monday renewed his pledge to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines following multiple high-profile mass shootings.

"We're living in a country awash in weapons of war. Weapons that were designed to hunt are not being used. The weapons designed, that they're purchasing, are designed as weapons of war to take out an enemy," Biden said on the White House lawn, stressing his aim to ban assault weapons, not hunting firearms.

Biden told reporters at the event celebrating the passage of the Safer Communities Act that an AR-15 can fire rounds at nearly twice the speed of a handgun and "human flesh and bone is just torn apart."

"Assault weapons need to be banned," Biden told the crowd on Monday.

He also mentioned how more than 40,000 people died from gunshot wounds last year, more than half of which were suicides.

Notably, the United States has a much lower suicide rate per capita than other countries with more stringent gun laws such as South Africa and South Korea, according to the World Health Organization.

"I’m determined to ban these weapons again and high-capacity magazines that hold 30 rounds and that let mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes. I’m not going to stop until we do it," Biden said, before going on to call for "safe storage laws, requiring personal liability for not locking up your gun."

Biden said he owns four shotguns, two of which belonged to his deceased son, Beau Biden. Last month, he said he only owned two shotguns, according to Bloomberg.

"My fellow Americans, none of what I’m talking about infringes on anyone’s Second Amendment rights. I’ve said it many times: I support the Second Amendment," Biden stated.

"With rights come responsibilities. Yes, there’s a right to bear arms, but we also have the right to live freely," he said, adding, "[t]he right to bear arms is not an absolute right that dominates all others."

During his speech, a father of a Parkland High School shooting victim heckled the president, telling him, "We have to do more."