As he has numerous times before, President Barack Obama on Thursdayy visited a city touched by a mass shooting, meeting with family members of the victims of the Orlando massacre. And afterwards, he made yet another impassioned plea for new gun control measures. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report.
President Barack Obama touched down in Orlando Thursday afternoon, four days after the massacre at a gay club that left 49 dead and more than 50 injured.
After meeting with family members and survivors, he shared some of their stories, calling their grief beyond description.
"I held and hugged grieving family members and parents and they asked, 'Why does this keep happening?' And they pleaded that we do more to stop the carnage," Obama said.
Obama’s answer, in large part, is stricter gun control measures. While he promised a continued relentless campaign against terror groups like the Islamic State group, he noted recent attacks were carried out by homegrown extremists with access to powerful weapons.
"Unfortunately, our politics have conspired to make it as easy as possible for a terrorist, or just a disturbed individual like those in Aurora and Newtown, to buy extraordinarily powerful weapons," the president said.
There were signs Thursday of bipartisanship. Obama was accompanied by Republican Sen. and antagonist Marco Rubio, and on the tarmac was greeted Republican Governor Rick Scott. But at the same time, Sen. John McCain was making headlines for calling Obama "directly responsible" for the attack because of foreign police failures, comments he later walked back.
Obama said military and intelligence efforts won’t be enough to stop lone wolf attacks.
"I hope that senators who voted no on background checks after Newtown have a change of heart. And then I hope the House does the right thing and helps end the plague of violence that these weapons of war inflict on so many young lives," he said.
Obama also expressed solidarity with the gay community.
"This was an act of terrorism, but it was also an act of hate," he said.
The president called it a time to end discrimination against the LGBT community not only here, but around the world.