Barack Obama has called for stricter gun laws following the shooting in California this week which saw 14 people killed.
Obama’s address comes in the wake of the FBI’s declaration that they are treating the massacre as an act of terror.
While the US president did say that this was an “act of terror” and insinuated that it was the result of “extremist ideologies”, he maintained that gun limits are key to preventing such tragedies.
Speaking in his weekly radio address, he said: “It is entirely possible that these two attackers were radicalized to commit this act of terror.
“And if so, it would underscore a threat we’ve been focused on for years — the danger of people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies.”
“We know that ISIL and other terrorist groups are actively encouraging people — around the world and in our country — to commit terrible acts of violence, oftentimes as lone-wolf actors.
“And even as we work to prevent attacks, all of us — government, law enforcement, communities, faith leaders — need to work together to prevent people from falling victim to these hateful ideologies.”
“We know that the killers in San Bernardino used military-style assault weapons — weapons of war — to kill as many people as they could.
“It’s another tragic reminder that here in America it’s way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun.”
Obama referred to his administration’s proposal that those on the government’s “no fly” list be prohibited from purchasing a gun, a measure that lost a recent Senate vote 54 to 45.
He said: “Right now, people on the no-fly list can walk into a store and buy a gun. That is insane.
“If you’re too dangerous to board a plane, you’re too dangerous, by definition, to buy a gun.
“And so I’m calling on Congress to close this loophole, now.
“We may not be able to prevent every tragedy, but — at a bare minimum — we shouldn’t be making it so easy for potential terrorists or criminals to get their hands on a gun that they could use against Americans.”
