President Barack Obama used a rare Oval Office address on Sunday to lay out his administration’s approach for dealing with the rising threat of domestic terrorism in the wake of last week’s San Bernardino massacre, calling for new gun control measures and tightened visa application processes, but suggesting no new military initiatives.
Mr. Obama said the attack underscores that the threat of terrorism in the U.S. “has evolved into a new phase.”
“This was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people,” he said. “As we’ve become better at preventing complex multifaceted attacks like 9/11, terrorists turns to less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings that are all too common in our society.”
The president called on Congress to pass legislation to prevent people who are on “no fly” terrorism watch lists from buying guns in the U.S., and reiterated his call for lawmakers to pass a new authorization for his administration to use force against Islamic State, or ISIS, a vote he said would “demonstrate that the American people are united, and committed, to this fight.”
In addition, Mr. Obama called for new measures to tighten national security, including a review of the visa program that one of the San Bernardino attackers used to enter the U.S. last year.