Days before Orlando shooting, Obama warned how known ISIS sympathizers could purchase guns

Days before the Orlando shooting, President Obama warned that ISIS sympathizers living in the U.S. had the ability to purchase guns.
(Image credit: YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Just 10 days before a gunman pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and opened fire on an Orlando nightclub, President Obama warned that known ISIS sympathizers could get their hands on firearms.

Speaking at a NewsHour-hosted town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana, on June 1, Obama addressed the topic in response to gun shop owner Doug Rhude's challenge to his gun control record:

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.