Obama Expresses Concern over Gun Culture in US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A day after the Virginia shooting incident, US President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed concern over the gun culture in the US, saying the number of people who die from gun-related incidents around the US "dwarfs" any deaths that happen through terrorism.
The president also expressed his sorrow over such incidents and described them as "heartbreaking," CNN-affiliate IBN reported Thursday.
"It breaks my heart every time you read or hear about these kids of incidents," Obama told a local TV station from Philadelphia in an interview.
"What we know is that the number of people who die from gun-related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism," he said.
24-year-old TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed on live television when a "disgruntled" ex-employee of the TV station opened fire in Virginia before succumbing to his injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The White House has criticized the Republican-controlled Congress from refusing to tighten gun control laws.
"This is another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common in communities large and small all across the United States," White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters.
