Share

Obama to visit relatives of Oregon shooting victims

Washington - President Barack Obama will travel to Oregon on Friday to meet with relatives of the victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting, a White House official told AFP.

A gunman went on a shooting rampage on October 1 that left nine people dead at the college in Roseburg, Oregon, before committing suicide as police cornered him.

Just hours after the shooting, a stone-faced Obama gave a press conference in which he blasted the opposition Republican-controlled Congress for opposing "any kind of common sense gun legislation."

He later warned that failure to act on gun control was a "political decision", and vowed to keep pushing for reform after America's latest mass shooting.

Obama "will travel to Roseburg, Oregon to visit privately with families of victims of the shooting," a White House official said late on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The shooting, the latest in a string of similar attacks in recent years at colleges and schools in the United States, has revived a fierce debate on gun control.

The last mass shooting at a US school took place in 2012 when 20 elementary school students and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

The president had already scheduled a four day trip over the weekend to the west coast, mainly aimed at raising funds for his Democratic party.

Oregon-School

Faculty members embrace as they are allowed to return to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg. (John Locher, AP)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Can radio hosts and media personalities be apolitical?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes, impartiality is key for public trust
34% - 36 votes
No, let's be real, we all have inherent biases
66% - 69 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.24
-0.4%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.47
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.6%
Platinum
948.80
-0.2%
Palladium
1,026.50
-0.3%
Gold
2,383.55
+0.2%
Silver
28.23
+0.0%
Brent Crude
87.11
-0.2%
Top 40
67,190
0.0%
All Share
73,271
0.0%
Resource 10
63,297
0.0%
Industrial 25
98,419
0.0%
Financial 15
15,480
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE