Obama Connects SoCal Shooting to ‘Pattern' of U.S. Mass Shootings

The active shooter situation unfolding Wednesday in Southern California reminded President Barack Obama of a pattern of mass shootings he said "has no parallel anywhere else in the world."

Obama made the comment during an interview on camera with CBS News even before police confirmed that at least 14 people were killed at a social services facility in San Bernardino. Hundreds of police officers were searching for up to three suspects after gunfire erupted at the 11 a.m. PT.

"My hope is that we're able to contain this particular shooting and we don't yet know what the motives of the shooters are, but what we do know is that there are steps that we can take to make Americans safer," Obama said.

Obama was quickly briefed on the situation, and Democratic presidential candidates spoke out against the violence as well on Twitter.

Extending his condolences to the shooting's victims, Obama told CBS that some measures could quickly be taken to curtail the frequency of mass shootings in the U.S.: "Common sense gun safety laws, stronger background checks" and preventing people who are on the no-fly list from buying firearms, because now "there's nothing we can do to stop them."
 

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