Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Joe Biden should enact critical government reforms if he wins MORE touted his gun control proposals on the seventh anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, saying he will prioritize efforts to combat the rise in shootings should he win the presidency.

"I said when I got into this race that I’m running to restore the soul of America," he said in a statement. "Few things make the need for that more clear than school shootings – what kind of nation are we if we simply accept that kids learn active shooter drills with their ABCs?"

"I know that we can defeat the NRA," he continued. "I’m the only candidate in the race who has done it before – twice, when I was in the Senate. As president I’ll do it again."

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Biden has proposed a sweeping gun control plan that would, among other things, repeal the federal law that protects gun manufacturers from civil liability claims, ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and mandate background checks for all gun sales.

The former vice president expressed confidence that gun control could be a galvanizing issue heading into the 2020 race.

“There’s a straight line from the brave parents of Newtown, many of whom have organized at the grassroots level and in the courts, to the activism of the Parkland students, to the millions of others who’ve said ‘enough’ in the long years between and since then,” he said, referring to other school shootings.

"This call for change is growing louder and louder, and is using every tool of our democracy, in the streets, voting booths, and courts," he added.

Gun control has become a priority for the 2020 Democratic candidates, with several unveiling proposals popular among the party’s base, such as an assault weapons ban and expanding background checks.