Joe Biden delivers gun-safety speech hours after son

Joe Biden, facing a backlash from young voters over the war in Gaza, sought to rally support around the issue of gun safety just hours after his son Hunter was convicted of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a firearm.

Contrasting his record with election rival Donald Trump, the US president brought an audience that included many students to its feet at the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund's annual Gun Sense University conference in Washington on Tuesday.

He went on to give an otherwise uneventful speech that made no mention of Hunter Biden's conviction in Delaware earlier in the day on three felony counts relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine.

The conference, which brings together Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers and survivors of gun violence from all 50 states, served as a show of strength for Biden at a time when his position looks fragile in opinion polls.

Speakers praised his commitment, compassion and willingness to listen. Julvonnia McDowell, whose 14-year-old son JaJuan was shot and killed by another teenager playing with an unsecured firearm in Savannah, Georgia, told the gathering: "I can say today, standing here right now, he's been true to his word on the urgency of creating a safer future for families like mine and yours."

She added: "I am proud to stand with him."

Biden was greeted by chants of "Four more years" and "Let's go, Joe!" He received loud acclaim when he reminded the audience that in June 2022 he signed the most significant federal bipartisan gun-safety legislation in nearly 30 years; on Wednesday, the justice department announced it had charged more than 500 defendants under the new law.