President Obama on Sunday night declared that the Wednesday shooting in California was an act of terrorism, after spending several days holding open the idea that it might have been a case of workplace violence.
“[I]t is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West,” Obama said from the White House in a rare Oval Office speech.
“They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition and pipe bombs,” he said. “So this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people.”
Obama’s hesitance to call the shooting terrorism led to sharp criticism from Republicans, who said Obama continues to ignore the growing threat the Islamic State now poses to the U.S., and to Americans on U.S. soil.
But even though Obama finally declared it terrorism, he refused to heed calls by critics to deploy ground troops to combat the Islamic State, enforce a “no-fly” zone over Syrian skies, or create “safe havens” in the terrorist group’s strongholds in Iraq or Syria.
Instead, he defended the steps the administration is already taking, called on Congress to pass new gun restrictions, and asked the American Muslim community for help. On gun control, he again called for a ban on anyone on the no-fly list from owning guns, something Republicans have rejected.
“What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect buy a semiautomatic weapon?” Obama asked.
He also called on lawmakers to reinstate the ban on assault-style rifles that expired in 2004.
“I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter,” he said. “What we can do, and must do, is make it harder for them to kill.”
Additionally, he called on Congress to formally authorize the use of force against the Islamic State, a request that has divided lawmakers and stalled the effort for more than a year.
“I think it’s time for Congress to vote to demonstrate that the American people are united and committed to this fight,” he said.
Obama has tried to reassure Americans that his administration is doing everything it can to keep them safe, with the exception of entering a ground war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. He repeated his arguments against sending ground troops to the Middle East, and said that’s just what the Islamic State wants.
“And I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure,” he said. “The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us. Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values or giving into fear. That’s what groups like ISIL are hoping for. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless. And by drawing upon every aspect of American power.”
He closed his speech by saying America must ensure it doesn’t slip into a war against all Muslims, when it’s really just trying to fight the Islamic State group, which he said was comprised of “thugs.”
The FBI is investigating the deadly shooting of 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., at a Muslim man’s office holiday party by a husband and wife team. But investigators, national security officials and the administration have not yet determined whether the couple acted as “lone wolves” or were following instructions from radical Islamic groups abroad such as the Islamic State, or ISIS or ISIL as it is also known.
ISIS had not claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s deadly shootout, which also injured 21 others and during which the rampaging couple was ultimately killed. There is “no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas or that they were part of a broader conspiracy here at home,” Obama acknowledged.
The event on U.S. soil, coupled with last month’s attacks by the Islamic State in Paris that left 130 dead, have left Americans feeling vulnerable, and those fears compelled Obama to address the nation, a senior administration official said.
The last time Obama spoke in the White House was in 2010, when he announced the U.S. was pulling troops out of Iraq.
