US President Barack Obama has expressed frustration over the “routine” response to mass shootings, after a gunman killed nine people in Oregon.
“We’ve become numb to this,” he said at the White House, visibly angry.
He said the shootings had become “routine”, as had his own response and the response of those who oppose his call for tighter gun controls.
The gunman, named as Chris Harper Mercer, was shot dead by police after the rampage at a college on Thursday.
Seven people were reportedly injured in the attack at Umpqua Community College.
The attacker was identified by unnamed officers, as local police refused to release his name.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said he did not wish to give the gunman “the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act”.
Hours after the attack, President Obama demanded tighter gun laws, saying prayers are “no longer enough”.
“We are not the only country on Earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people.
“But we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these mass shootings every few months.”
Referring to a BBC interview in which he talked about this, he said countries like the UK and Australia showed that effective legislation was possible.
The gunman was reportedly born in the UK and moved to the US as a young boy.
A man identified as the gunman’s father, Ian Mercer, told US media he was “just as shocked as everybody” by his son’s actions.
The killer’s motive is not known, although police said they were investigating reports that he had warned of his intentions on social media.
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