President Obama called local officials in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Monday morning to pledge federal resources for their investigation into a mass shooting and said the tragedy highlights the need for more gun laws.
“Clearly we’re going to need to do more if we’re going to keep innocent Americans safe,” Mr. Obama told the nation’s governors at a White House meeting. “I’ve got to assume that all of you are just as tired as I am of seeing this stuff happen in your states.”
Mr. Obama said he took executive action on gun control this year “that will make it harder for dangerous people like this individual [in Kalamazoo] to buy a gun.” But he called on the governors “to partner and think about what we can do in a common-sense way, in a bipartisan way, without some of the ideological rhetoric that so often surrounds that issue.”
Local authorities haven’t revealed how the assailant obtained the handgun used in the shootings. Six people were killed at random and two others seriously wounded.
James B. Dalton, 45, an Uber driver who apparently was taking fares during the hours of the shootings, has been charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Mr. Obama said he called the mayor, sheriff and police chief in Kalamazoo. He told the governors that gun violence is just as much of a national security concern as terrorist attacks like the one in California in December.
“The attack in San Bernardino killed 14 of our fellow Americans, and here’s a hard truth: We probably lost even more Americans than that to guns this weekend alone,” Mr. Obama said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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