A year after 12 people were shot and killed at the Washington Navy Yard, President Obama said Tuesday the U.S. must pursue “common-sense reforms” to firearms laws and indicated he’s not ready to admit defeat in his fight for gun control.
“One year ago, 12 Americans went to work to protect and strengthen the country they loved. Today, we must do the same — rejecting atrocities like these as the new normal and renewing our call for common-sense reforms that respect our traditions while reducing the gun violence that shatters too many American families every day,” the president said in a statement.
Gunman Aaron Alexis murdered 12 people at the Navy Yard facility on Sept. 16, 2013. It was one of numerous high-profile mass shootings in the past few years.
Other rampages have taken place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere.
Mr. Obama and many Democrats in Congress, along with powerful gun-control advocates such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have pushed for stronger background checks and other restrictions in the wake of each of those tragedies.
Their efforts, however, have failed. Mr. Obama has taken some executive steps to reduce gun violence but Congress appears unlikely to take significant action on the issue.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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