Politics

President Obama Responds to Failed Gun Reform Bills

June 21st 2016

After the Senate failed to pass any of the four gun reform bills that were introduced in response to the Orlando shooting on Monday, President Barack Obama expressed his frustration on Twitter.

barack-obamaAP/Susan Walsh - apimages.com

"Gun violence requires more than moments of silence," Obama wrote on Tuesday. "It requires action. In failing that test, the Senate failed the American people."

Four reform proposals — to expand background checks for gun buyers, make it more difficult for people with mental illness and suspected terrorists from buying guns, and close the "gun show loophole" — were all defeated on Monday. Obama added his voice to the choir of protest that followed.

He expressed a familiar sentiment: that the thoughts, prayers, and moments of silence of members of Congress were no longer satisfactory responses to instances of gun violence in America. A majority of Americans support "common sense" gun reform legislation such as expanded background checks, and the failure of the Senate to act on that support has inspired frustration among reform advocates.

Following the Orlando nightclub shooting — the deadliest in U.S. history — Obama spoke out and visited the city to meet with survivors. Obama has issued 14 speeches in the wake of mass shooting tragedies, USA Today reports, and his latest tweet says it all. He's fed up.

RELATED: President Obama Spoke Out About the Orlando Mass Shooting

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