Following Texas mass shooting, Obama calls for action on gun violence

Former President Barack Obama responded to the massacre at a Texas church on Sunday with a plea for Americans to figure out "concrete steps" that can be taken in order to stop such heinous acts.
"We grieve with all the families in Sutherland Springs harmed by this act of hatred, and we'll stand with the survivors as they recover," he tweeted Sunday evening, adding, "May God also grant all of us the wisdom to ask what concrete steps we can take to reduce violence and weaponry in our midst."
While president, Obama comforted the country after mass shootings in San Bernardino, Orlando, and Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School were gunned down in 2012. At the time, he called for Americans to come together to "take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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