Obama, Biden call for action to prevent gun violence after Texas church shooting
Former President Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden called for action to prevent gun violence in the hours after the shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sunday that left 26 people dead and at least 20 injured.
Obama spoke out on Twitter, saying that he stands with the families and survivors. But he suggested that grieving isn't enough. "May God also grant all of us the wisdom to ask what concrete steps we can take to reduce the violence and weaponry in our midst," he said.
Biden issued a similar statement on his Twitter account. He offered prayers for the community, and added, "These tragedies aren't inevitable. Don't let hopelessness win today. We must persist in our efforts to prevent gun violence."
President Trump, meanwhile, commented on the shooting Sunday during his trip abroad in Asia, saying the attack isn't a gun problem.
"This isn't a guns situation, we could go into it but it's a little soon to go into it. Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction otherwise it would've been – as bad as it was – it would've been much worse. But, this is a mental health problem at the highest level."
The shooting comes just over a month after the mass shooting in Las Vegas which left 58 people dead -- the deadliest such incident in U.S. history.
Obama and Biden pushed Congress to take legislative action to further prevent gun violence, but proposals to tighten gun laws have either failed or haven't come up for a vote at all.
