President Obama took time out of his trip to Florida Friday to lament the deadly shootings that took place in Kansas Thursday, as well as a shooting rampage in Michigan just days earlier.
“These acts may not dominate the news today but these are two more communities in America torn apart by grief,” he said. “I thought it was important for me to say something today because otherwise these sorts of shootings become routine.”
“We cannot become numb to this,” he added. “This happens far too many times and affected far too many innocent Americans.”
“As long as I’m president I’m going to keep on bringing this up … Lord knows I wish I didn’t have to make these phone calls and comfort families … The real tragedy is the degree to which this has become routine.”
A gunman killed three people and injured 14 more in shootings that ended at a lawn care company in Hesston, Kansas on Thursday. Over the weekend, Jason Brian Dalton, who had been working as an Uber driver since last month, allegedly opened fire at random, killing six people and injuring two others.
Obama spent Friday afternoon visiting a lithium-ion battery factory in Jacksonville, Fla. where he touted his stimulus program’s impact on the economic recovery.
On the flight to Florida, he telephoned Hesston Mayor David Kauffman to offer his condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed and his gratitude to police officers and other first responders who acted quickly to save lives, according to White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
