Former United States President Barack Obama has spoken out about the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida this week. With 17 people now confirmed dead, the shooting is the deadliest in the country since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre of 2012.
“We are grieving with Parkland”, Obama wrote on Twitter. “But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job. And until we can honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change.”
Obama has long been an advocate for gun restrictions in America, previously presenting legislation requiring expanded background checks and more to Congress, who blocked the proposal.
After the Sandy Hook shooting, which left 26 dead, Obama said the responsibility fell on American leaders and adults. “We’ve created a system in which dangerous people are allowed to play by a different set of rules”, he said. “I believe we can find ways to reduce gun violence in ways consistent with the Second Amendment”.