WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former President Barack Obama on Thursday made a strong plea for legislative action on gun control, saying it's 'long overdue.'
'We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job,' Obama said on Twitter after an expelled South Florida high school teenager returned to campus and opened fire with an assault rifle Wednesday.
Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder for killing 17 people, including students, at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
'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 tweeted.
Although curbing gun violence has been his priority as President, Obama failed to get Congress to pass gun legislation. After the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Obama gave a tearful speech and later described the moment as the 'worst day of his presidency.'
But in an address to the nation from the White House on Thursday, his Republican successor steered clear of any discussion of gun laws.
Advocates cautioned against making assumptions about the links between mental health issues and violence after President Donald Trump said the suspect in the mass shooting was 'mentally disturbed.'
Having faced grilling from several Democrats Thursday following the shooting, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will speak to the President and the Cabinet about gun violence.
Florida Governor Rick Scott expressed openness to imposing additional restrictions on guns in his state.
America is going through unprecedented levels of gun violence.
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that on an average day, 96 Americans are killed with guns.
On average there are nearly 13,000 gun homicides a year in the U.S., according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence.
America's gun homicide rate is more than 25 times the average of other high-income countries.
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