Obama calls Orlando shooting an 'act of terror,' other politicians react

[TomCADem]

Source: CNN

President Barack Obama called the mass shooting at an LGBT Orlando nightclub Sunday an "act of terror" in remarks to the nation from the White House briefing room.

"We know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate," he said. "The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terror. We will go wherever the facts lead us ... What is clear is he was a person filled with hatred."

At least 50 people were killed and 53 more wounded in the what is now the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Obama said while it could have been any one of our communities, "this is an especially heartbreaking day for our friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/politics/orlando-shooting-obama-political-reaction/

[NurseJackie]

1. Heartbroken. Angry. Confused.

[840high]

2. from NBC

FBI first looked into Orlando gunman in 2013 because of statements about radical Islam
At least 50 people are dead and more than 50 others are wounded after a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, early Sunday morning.
Read More

[ladym55]

3. And again our president must make a public statement about gun violence

How many times has he had to do this during his administration? I've lost count. How many times has he had to console grieving families of gun violence victims?

No wonder he has turned gray.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

4. It was an act of terror. Animals. Treat women like shit. Murder people that

don't believe in their religion. These people are the worst of humanity. Actually, are they even human.

[Angel Martin]

5. they are all too human, unfortunately. nt

[left-of-center2012]

6. Fox News attacked Obama's statement

I tuned into Fox for a few minutes to get their take on President Obama's statement.
They attacked him for mentioning that it's too easy to get guns.

[TomCADem]

7. Slate - The NRA Claims the AR-15 Is Useful for Hunting and Home Defense. Not Exactly.

Aside from repelling the zombie apocalypse, does anyone really use the AR-15 for self-defense?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/01/02/gun_control_ar_15_rifle_the_nra_claims_the_ar_15_rifle_is_for_hunting_and.html

The AR-15 was designed in 1957 at the behest of the U.S. Army, which asked Armalite to come up with a “high-velocity, full and semi auto fire, 20 shot magazine, 6lbs loaded, able to penetrate both sides of a standard Army helmet at 500 meters rifle,” according to ar15.com. When it entered Army service in the 1960s, it was renamed the M16, in accordance with the Army Nomenclature System. “AR-15” came to refer to the rifle’s semi-automatic civilian equivalent. From 1994 to 2004, AR-15-style rifles were subject to the now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Since then, the rifle and others like it have become tremendously popular. Last month, I estimated that upward of 3.5 million AR-15-style rifles currently exist in the United States. People like the rifle because it is modular and thus customizable (one article calls the AR-15 “perhaps the most flexible firearm ever developed; in seconds, a carbine can be switched over to a long-range rifle by swapping upper receivers”), because it is easy to shoot, and because carrying it around makes you look like a badass.

But the AR-15 is not ideal for the hunting and home-defense uses that the NRA’s Keene cited today. Though it can be used for hunting, the AR-15 isn’t really a hunting rifle. Its standard .223 caliber ammunition doesn’t offer much stopping power for anything other than small game. Hunters themselves find the rifle controversial, with some arguing AR-15-style rifles empower sloppy, “spray and pray” hunters to waste ammunition. (The official Bushmaster XM15 manual lists the maximum effective rate of fire at 45 rounds per minute.) As one hunter put it in the comments section of an article on americanhunter.org, “I served in the military and the M16A2/M4 was the weapon I used for 20 years. It is first and foremost designed as an assault weapon platform, no matter what the spin. A hunter does not need a semi-automatic rifle to hunt, if he does he sucks, and should go play video games. I see more men running around the bush all cammo'd up with assault vests and face paint with tricked out AR's. These are not hunters but wannabe weekend warriors.”

In terms of repelling a home invasion—which is what most people mean when they talk about home defense—an AR-15-style rifle is probably less useful than a handgun. The AR-15 is a long gun, and can be tough to maneuver in tight quarters. When you shoot it, it’ll overpenetrate—sending bullets through the walls of your house and possibly into the walls of your neighbor’s house—unless you purchase the sort of ammunition that fragments on impact. (This is true for other guns, as well, but, again, the thing with the AR-15 is that it lets you fire more rounds faster.)

AR-15–style rifles are very useful, however, if what you’re trying to do is sell guns. In a recent Forbes article, Abram Brown reported that “gun ownership is at a near 20-year high, generating $4 billion in commercial gun and ammunition sales.” But that money’s not coming from selling shotguns and bolt-action rifles to pheasant hunters. In its 2011 annual report, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation announced that bolt-action hunting rifles accounted for 6.6 percent of its net sales in 2011 (down from 2010 and 2009), while modern sporting rifles (like AR-15-style weapons) accounted for 18.2 percent of its net sales. The Freedom Group’s 2011 annual report noted that the commercial modern sporting rifle market grew at a 27 percent compound annual rate from 2007 to 2011, whereas the entire domestic long gun market only grew at a 3 percent rate.

[groundloop]

9. "while modern sporting rifles (like AR-15-style weapons) blah blah blah"

Sorry, an AR-15 isn't a "sporting" rifle - it's a murder machine. No euphemism will change the fact that these weapons are intended to kill people.

[Elmergantry]

10. Yeah your right...

If I try to shoot a paper target or varmint, it doesn't work...definitely ONLY designed for killing people

[Skittles]

14. you need an AR-15 to shoot paper or varmint?

COWARDS need them

[Elmergantry]

16. like i said

They are only made to kill people
They wont work on targets and varmints

[Skittles]

17. and I will repeat

COWARDS need them

[Elmergantry]

11. i think 12G buckshot is ideal

with a short barrel. Just need to aim in the general direction, low chance of the shot leaving the house.

[Skittles]

13. it is "useful" for gun humping cowards

[okieinpain]

18. +1 n/t.

[Zambero]

8. Never criticize the Nazis for death camp atrocities

They obtained all the cyanide gas required to kill millions of Jews and others. But NEVER EVER mention how easy it was to get the stuff, as that would be crossing a line!

[Elmergantry]

12. Well he seems to be ignoring the religious

component of these attacks. As if there is not a problem with radical Muslims...As mentioned above, if this was WWII he would be calling for cyanide control.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. He also called it a hate crime.

Unlike many, including some here, our President is able to see that this act is BOTH! Unlike many other politicians, our President isn't afraid to say "GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, and TRANSGENDER" in public. I haven't always been happy with him, but many times I certainly have been; today is one of those days I am glad Barack Obama is our president!