President Joe Biden tried to answer a few questions about the Nashville school shooting as he left the White House, but eventually gave up when he was drowned out by shouting reporters.

Monday’s mass shooting at the Covenant School, an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee — in which three children and three staff members were killed — has reignited the issue of gun control, as such shootings do with increasing and disturbing regularity.

During a White House event on Monday, President Biden offered words of consolation, and noted “the shooter in this situation reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol — two AK-47,” and added “I call on Congress, again, to pass my assault weapons ban.”

On Tuesday, the president was peppered with questions as he departed the White House for North Carolina, and expanded on those themes. He also began to explain why he hasn’t announced a trip to Nashville yet, but when reporters began shouting cacophonously during his answer, the president gave up and walked to Marine One:

REPORTER: Mr. President, is there any — is there any action that you can take on guns? Or do you think it’s all up to Congress at this point?

THE PRESIDENT: I have gone the full extent of my executive authority to do, on my own, anything about guns.

REPORTER: Will you — will you consider-

THE PRESIDENT: Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute. The Congress has to act. The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre; it’s a crazy idea. They’re against that. And so, I think the Congress should be passing the assault weapons ban.

I want to remind you, the last time we passed the assault weapons ban, violent shootings went down, mass shootings went down for 10 or however many years it was — 9 years. And so-

REPORTER: So what can you do?

THE PRESIDENT: So I can’t do anything except plead with the Congress to act reasonably.

REPORTER: Will you consider traveling to Nashville to meet with members of the community? Will you consider traveling to Nashville to meet with members of the community?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I’ve spoken with everyone down there, from the mayor, to the senators, to all the players. I spoke to the chief of police today. I’ve spoken to all of them.

What I don’t want to do — I’ve been through many of these myself, as you know, all the way starting way back to the mass shootings (inaudible).

Thank you.

REPORTERS: (shouting indistinctly)

PRESIDENT BIDEN: (gestures, walks to marine one)

Watch above via C-SPAN.

The post WATCH: Biden Demands Congress Act on ‘Bizarre’ and ‘Crazy Idea’ Of Assault Weapons As Reporters Drown Him Out first appeared on Mediaite.

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