In the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack, President Barack Obama today called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban as well as pass legislation to make it harder for suspected terrorists to obtain firearms.
The president said there are a number of “common sense” gun control measures that Congress should take to reduce gun violence without violating the Second Amendment, and for the first time since the deadly shooting Sunday, he enumerated several steps he wants Congress to take.
“People with possible ties to terrorism who are not allowed on a plane shouldn’t be allowed to buy a gun,” Obama said, referring to “no fly, no buy” legislation pending on Capitol Hill that would prevent any suspected terrorists on no-fly lists from buying firearms.
“Reinstate the assault weapons plan,” he added. “Make it harder for terrorists to use these weapons to kill us.”
“Otherwise, despite extraordinary efforts, despite all the sacrifices that folks make, these kinds of events are going to keep on happening,” Obama warned. “And the weapons are only going to get more powerful.”
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The meeting’s participants — including Vice President Joe Biden and senior national security advisers from the State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA — reviewed efforts to destroy the terrorist group. It was on the president’s schedule before the weekend’s massacre in Orlando, and the attack gave the meeting increased relevance and urgency.
The president added that the U.S. government is “doing everything in our power to stop these kinds of attacks.”
“Our mission is to destroy ISIL,” Obama said, using annother acronym for ISIS, or the Islamic State. “This continues to be a difficult fight, but we are making sufficient progress.”