CHARLESTON KILLINGS: Obama Calls for U.S. to "Reckon With" Gun Issue

President Obama was among the politicians who spoke out about the need to change gun laws in the wake of Wednesday night's killing of nine people at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Obama said that he and his wife Michelle know several members of the church, including Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was among the victims.

Obama said that the FBI has opened a hate crime investigation into the incident. The president added that this was another incident in which a person wanting to harm innocent people was able to easily obtain a gun.

Obama added, "But let’s be clear: At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency. And it is in our power to do something about it." (TIME)