Friday, June 17, 2016
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla.
Embracing grieving Orlando families and appealing anew for national action, President Barack Obama claimed a threat to all Americans’ security Thursday as a strong reason to tighten U.S. gun laws. Counterterror campaigns overseas, he declared, can never prevent all “lone wolf” attacks such as the one that killed 49 people in Orlando.
Speaking at a makeshift memorial to the victims, Obama said the massacre at a gay nightclub was evidence that “different steps” are needed to limit the damage a “deranged” person set on committing violence can do. He cheered on Democrats’ push for new gun-control measures, including a new ban on assault weapons and stricter background checks.
Although he showed little hope the measures would find much support among most opponents, Obama seemed to be aiming for other lawmakers, perhaps Republican hawks eager to get behind counterterror campaigns but steadfastly opposed to gun restrictions.
Obama arrived as Orlando began the next stage of its grief – funerals all over town. A visitation for one victim, Javier Jorge-Reyes, on Wednesday night turned out a crowd of friends, family, drag queens and motorcyclists to pay their respects.
“We’re just here to spread love and joy and try to put an end to all the hate,” said Ezekiel Davis – or, as he’s known to some, Sister Anesthesia Beaverhausen. Obama could not miss other signs of a community coming together in tragedy. Hundreds of people gathered in 95-degree heat outside the Amway Center stadium where he met with families.
Orlando’s calls for solidarity stood in contrast to the sharp-edged political debate in Washington and the presidential campaign trail that continued during Obama’s visit.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican and frequent Obama critic, accused the president of being “directly responsible” for the shooting because, he said, Obama had allowed the growth of the Islamic State group on his watch. McCain quickly walked back those comments with a written statement saying he had misspoken and was referring to Obama’s “national- security decisions, not the president himself.”
The gunman, Omar Mateen, had made calls during the attack saying he was an IS supporter. But CIA Director John Brennan said Thursday the agency has found no connection between the gunman and any foreign terrorist organization.
In Orlando, Obama noted the need for strong efforts to fight terrorists before they can get to America, but he said that’s not enough.
“It’s going to take more than just our military,” he said. “We will not be able to stop every tragedy. We can’t wipe away hatred and evil from every heart in this world, but we can stop some tragedies. We can save some lives.
“We can reduce the impact of a terrorist attack if we’re smart,” he said, a reference to a ban on assault-type weapons that can kill dozens of people in moments. Mateen had such a weapon, an AR-15 rifle.
Elsewhere in the city and in Washington, investigators were working to reconstruct the movements of the 29-year-old shooter before he opened fire at the Pulse dance club, including what his wife may have known about the attack.
In his remarks, Obama also expressed solidarity with gays and lesbians who were targeted at the nightclub.
“This was an attack on the LGBT community. Americans were targeted because we’re a country that has learned to welcome everyone, no matter who you are or who you love,” Obama said. “And hatred toward people because of sexual orientation, regardless of where it comes from, is a betrayal of what’s best in us.”