President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden paid a visit to Orlando Thursday afternoon to pay tribute to the victims of the deadly nightclub shooting last weekend.
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The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for the Orlando attack but USA officials have said they do not believe Mateen was assisted from overseas.
In his speech, the president underlined that the attack was an act of hate targeting the LGBT community in the United States, as most of the victims were gay.
After meeting with the families, the duo met with the owners of Pulse before visiting a makeshift memorial, upon which they laid 49 white roses.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were in Orlando after a US-born gunman claiming allegiance to various Islamist militant groups carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.
Earlier at Amway Center, the president met privately with survivors and families of the victims of the Pulse shooting, which left 49 dead early Sunday. “If you have lone wolf attacks like this, hatched in the minds of disturbed persons, we’re going to have to take different kinds of steps to prevent these kinds of things from happening”.
Obama and Biden arrived at Orlando International Airport before 1 p.m. Sen.
The rampage began at 2 a.m. and ended three hours later with Mateen, an American-born Muslim described as a club regular by other patrons, being killed by a police SWAT team.
“They don’t care about the politics”, Obama said.
Through tears, numerous victims’ families gathered to talk about their loved ones. Their visit to the memorial came after the president and vice president stopped to speak with the families of the victims of Sunday’s attack.
“Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families”, Obama said. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, who represents part of Orlando. A dozen have been discharged from ORMC, where the majority of the victims were taken because it’s just down the street from the gay nightclub. He has also ordered flags to half-staff more often than any other president in history, per USA Today.
Hours later, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump said he had watched Obama and criticized him at his rally in Dallas, Texas.
“But we can stop some tragedies”.
Back in Washington, however, lawmakers paused in efforts to pass gun control legislation, something the Obama administration has backed and the President spoke to in the wake of the Orlando shooting.
Obama’s motorcade, with the dignitaries and Sen.
“I’m pleased to hear that the Senate will hold votes on preventing individuals with possible terrorist ties from buying guns”, he said.
These are all the true precursors of Omar Mateen’s evil morning of slaughter – terrorist attacks in service of jihad, inspired by inciters and designers of jihadist violence.
Opponents of changes to the law want guarantees that law-abiding Americans will not have their rights infringed upon. McCain later claimed he “misspoke”.
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The usage of the term possibly implies the president considers all handguns and semi-automatic rifles as implements of war and should be banned, potentially leaving hunters and gun enthusiasts with single shot weapons, if at all.
