THE GUARDIAN: US president takes election risk, saying parties should co-operate and assault weapons 'do not belong on our streets'
Barack Obama has broken the silence he has maintained on gun control since the Colorado shootings, making a plea for Democrats, Republicans and community leaders to "arrive at a consensus" on how to reduce gun violence across the United States.
At the end of a trip lasting several days that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the massacre in a cinema, the US president told an audience that such tragedies were replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis.
"Every day and a half the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same as the number of people we lost in that movie theater," Obama said in remarks at the National Urban League Conference in New Orleans.
"I'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organisations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction."
Discussing or even touching on the issue of gun control in the US during an election year is risky, and Obama has been careful to avoid making sweeping proposals that could offend gun owners and rally his Republican opponents.
The president made a point of emphasising his support for the US constitution's second amendment, which outlines the right to bear arms. » | Reuters in New Orleans | Thursday, July 26, 2012
