WASHINGTON — A grim President Barack Obama says the US has “become numb” to mass shootings like Thursday's incident in Oregon, where a 20-year-old gunman killed at least 9 people at Umpqua Community College. Speaking in the White House briefing room Thursday, Obama challenged voters wanting to deal with the problem to vote for elected officials who agree with that priority. He has had no success through his nearly seven years in the White House in getting Congress to tighten laws involving firearms. The president noted that this wasn't his first appearance before reporters to pass on his condolences to the families and friends of the fallen in mass shootings. These incidents have become imbedded in the life of America. Over the past several years, Obama has traveled to Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; Charleston, South Carolina, and many other cities to mourn victims of gun violence. Obama said Thursday the nation's response to mass shootings has become “routine” — from the reporting by the media, to his own comments, to the opposition to gun control laws aimed at deterring the violence. — AP
