Obama: Terrorists Have Embraced ‘All Too Common’ American Style of Violence: Mass Shootings
(CNSNews.com) - In a nationally televised address on Sunday night, President Barack Obama said that while the San Bernardino terrorists—who murdered 14 Americans—had embraced what he described as a “perverted interpretation of Islam” they had also adopted a form of violence that is “all too common” in America: mass shootings.
As part of the solution to this type of terrorism, Obama called for more gun control in the United States.
“So far, we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas, or that they were part of a broader conspiracy here at home,” Obama said.
“But it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West,” he said. “They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition and pipe bombs. So, this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people.”
After citing the terrorists’ use of guns to carry out their terrorist attacks in the United States, Obama called for Congress to enact greater restrictions on gun ownership by Americans.
In addition to prohibiting gun purchases by anyone on the Transportation Safety Administration’s No-Fly List, Obama also would like Congress to “make it harder” of r people to buy what he called “powerful assault weapons.”
“To begin with, Congress should act to make sure no one on a No-Fly list is able to buy a gun,” said Obama. “What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terror suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security.
“We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino,” Obama said. “I know there are some that reject any gun safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology.”
Here are some key excerpts from the president’s address:
“The FBI is still gathering the facts about what happened in San Bernardino. But here is what we know: The victims were brutally murdered and injured by one of their co-workers and his wife. So far, we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas, or that they were part of a broader conspiracy here at home.
"But it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West. They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition and pipe bombs. So, this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people.
"Our nation has been at war with terrorists since al Qaida killed nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11. In the process, we have hardened our defenses from airports, to financial centers, to other critical infrastructure.
"Intelligence and law enforcement agencies have disrupted countless plots, here and overseas, and worked around the clock to keep us safe. Our military and counter-terrorism professionals have relentlessly pursued terrorist networks overseas, disrupting safe havens in several different countries, killing Osama bin Laden and decimating al Qaida’s leadership.
"Over the last few years, however, the terrorist threat has evolved into a new phase. As we’ve become better at preventing complex, multifaceted attacks like 9/11, terrorists turn to less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings that are all too common in our society. It is this type of attack that we saw at Fort Hood in 2009, in Chattanooga earlier this year, and now in San Bernardino. And as groups like ISIL grew stronger amidst the chaos of war in Iraq and then Syria, and as the Internet erases the distance between countries, we see growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds of people like the Boston Marathon bombers and the San Bernardino killers….
“Now, here at home, we have to work together to address the challenge. There are several steps that Congress should take right away. To begin with, Congress should act to make sure no one on a No-Fly list is able to buy a gun. What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terror suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security. We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino. I know there are some that reject any gun safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology. What we can do and must do is make it harder for them to kill.”
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