[h=1]'I firmly believe America is not as divided as some have suggested': Obama calls for unity after Dallas shooting as he hits out at the 'demented individual' behind attack[/h]
PUBLISHED: 18:17, 9 July 2016 | UPDATED: 21:47, 9 July 2016
- Obama spoke at the Nato summit in Warsaw today, addressing the mounting tensions between police and minorities across the US
- He said that Americans are united in their outrage at Dallas shooting
- He called Micah Xavier Johnson a 'demented individual' who was not representative of African Americans
- President rallied behind stricter gun control and implicitly criticized open carry laws in states like Texas
- Obama is scheduled to fly to Spain, and will cut his trip short by a day in order to visit Dallas next week
PUBLISHED: 18:17, 9 July 2016 | UPDATED: 21:47, 9 July 2016
Obama called the gunman who killed five police officers during a protest in Dallas 'demented' as he once again rallied for stricter gun control.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Warsaw on a trip he will cut short to visit Dallas, Obama tried to soothe mounting tensions between police and the communities they are pledged to protect.
'As painful as this week has been, I firmly believe America is not as divided as some have suggested,' the president said.
He pointed out that Americans are united in their outrage at the 'inexcusable attacks on police' while acknowledging the systemic problems of the criminal justice system against people of color.
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Obama called the gunman who killed five police officers during a protest in Dallas a 'demented individual' who is not representative of African Americans
Speaking at the Nato summit in Warsaw on a trip he will cut short to visit Dallas, Obama tried to soothe mounting tensions between police and the communities they are pledged to protect.
'As painful as this week has been, I firmly believe America is not as divided as some have suggested,' the president said.
He pointed out that Americans are united in their outrage at the 'inexcusable attacks on police' while acknowledging the systemic problems of the criminal justice system against people of color.
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Obama called the gunman who killed five police officers during a protest in Dallas a 'demented individual' who is not representative of African Americans
'Americans of all races and all backgrounds are rightly outraged about the inexcusable attacks on police,' Obama said.
'This is not who we want to be as Americans. And that serves as the basis for us to move forward in a constructive and positive way. We cannot let the actions of a few define all of us.'
'The demented individual who carried out those attacks in Dallas, he's not more representative of all African-Americans than the shooter in Charleston was representative of white Americans.
'Or the shooter in Orlando or San Bernardino were representative of Muslim Americans. They don't speak for us. That's not who we are.'
Obama said it was impossible to weed out violence entirely, but refused to back down on his call for stricter gun control measures, which could make a difference in preventing mass shootings.
He pointed to studies that have shown the United States is an outlier among developed countries in terms of gun deaths, and argued against the open-carry laws in states like Texas.
'Police have a difficult time in communities where they know guns are everywhere. They have a right to come home, and now they have very little margin of error to make decisions,' he said.
'If you care about our police officers, you can't set aside the gun issue and pretend that that's irrelevant.
'Imagine if you're a police officer trying to sort out who is shooting at you and a bunch of people who have guns on them.'
'This is not who we want to be as Americans. And that serves as the basis for us to move forward in a constructive and positive way. We cannot let the actions of a few define all of us.'
'The demented individual who carried out those attacks in Dallas, he's not more representative of all African-Americans than the shooter in Charleston was representative of white Americans.
'Or the shooter in Orlando or San Bernardino were representative of Muslim Americans. They don't speak for us. That's not who we are.'
Obama said it was impossible to weed out violence entirely, but refused to back down on his call for stricter gun control measures, which could make a difference in preventing mass shootings.
He pointed to studies that have shown the United States is an outlier among developed countries in terms of gun deaths, and argued against the open-carry laws in states like Texas.
'Police have a difficult time in communities where they know guns are everywhere. They have a right to come home, and now they have very little margin of error to make decisions,' he said.
'If you care about our police officers, you can't set aside the gun issue and pretend that that's irrelevant.
'Imagine if you're a police officer trying to sort out who is shooting at you and a bunch of people who have guns on them.'
Obama also referenced the circumstances surrounding the death of Philando Castile, who reportedly told officer Jeronimo Yanez he was licensed to carry a concealed firearm when he was pulled over on Wednesday in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
'He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,' Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds said during a Facebook live stream of the shooting's aftermath.
On Saturday, Obama said: 'In Minneapolis, there was a gun in the car, that apparently was licensed, but it caused, in some fashion, those tragic events.'
But the president also maintained a hopeful message as he looked at the long-term drop in crime rates in the US.
'Violent crime in the United States is the lowest its been since probably the early 1960s. There's an incredible drop.
'That doesn't lessen people's understandable fears if they see a video clip of someone getting killed, but it is important to keep in perspective.'
Obama is scheduled to fly to Madrid, where he will stay for a day before returning to Washington on Sunday ahead of a trip to Dallas next week.
'The president will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system,' according to a statement issued by the White House press secretary.
'He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,' Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds said during a Facebook live stream of the shooting's aftermath.
On Saturday, Obama said: 'In Minneapolis, there was a gun in the car, that apparently was licensed, but it caused, in some fashion, those tragic events.'
But the president also maintained a hopeful message as he looked at the long-term drop in crime rates in the US.
'Violent crime in the United States is the lowest its been since probably the early 1960s. There's an incredible drop.
'That doesn't lessen people's understandable fears if they see a video clip of someone getting killed, but it is important to keep in perspective.'
Obama is scheduled to fly to Madrid, where he will stay for a day before returning to Washington on Sunday ahead of a trip to Dallas next week.
'The president will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system,' according to a statement issued by the White House press secretary.
