Obama says church shooting shows need for reckoning on guns
Updated: 2015-06-19 08:03
(Agencies)
|
|||||||||||
US Senators and members of Congress congregate for prayer circle honoring SC shooting victims outside US Capitol in Washington, June 18, 2015. [Photo/Agencies] |
"I've had to make statements like this too many times," the president said.
The president acknowledged there is scant sentiment within the Republican-controlled Congress for stricter gun controls, saying he recognizes "the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now." A federal universal background bill couldn't muster the 60 votes necessary even in a Democrat-controlled US Senate in the months after the 2012 shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut.
But Obama held out hope for an eventual shift in attitudes.
"At some point it's going to be important for the American people to come to grips with it, and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively," he said.
Obama said the shooting in a black church also raised questions "about a dark part of our history" of racism, but he said the broad-based outpouring of grief at the tragedy shows "the degree to which those old vestiges of hatred can be overcome."
Obama, accompanied by Vice-President Joe Biden, said that he and Biden had spoken with Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley and other local leaders to express their condolences. Michelle Obama and daughter Malia, traveling in Italy, lit candles at Milan's Duomo cathedral in memory of the victims.
Related Stories
Gunman kills nine people in South Carolina church shooting 2015-06-18 14:00
Singapore man in Shangri-La Hotel shooting sentenced to 8 years in jail 2015-06-15 20:10
Four people killed in shooting in N China 2015-06-09 14:02
Suspect in Shangri-La Dialogue shooting accused of instigating rash act 2015-06-08 16:05
Suspects charged with heroin trafficking in Shangri-La shooting in Singapore 2015-06-02 11:03
Today's Top News
HK lawmakers reject election reform proposal
Lies and false hopes entrap Xinjiangers
EU seeks to ban animal cloning
European panda fans travel to Sichuan, China
Huawei committed to UK expansion
Europe on alarm after first MERS death in Germany
Vote to begin on Hong Kong's election reform
Greek PM tears into lenders as euro zone prepares for 'Grexit'
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Premier Li embarks on Latin America visit |
What do we know about AIIB |
Full coverage of Boao Forum for Asia |
Annual legislative and political advisory sessions |
Festival Special: Apps that make holiday shopping easier |
Listed firms caught in anti-corruption net |