Obama discusses gun control measures with officials

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President Barack Obama has met country’s law enforcement officials to discuss over the gun control measures that have been widely demanded after a series of deadly shooting incidents in the US in recent past.

“I welcome this opportunity to work with them, to hear their views in terms of what will make the biggest difference to prevent something like Newtown or Oak Creek from happening again,” Obama said on top of his meeting.

The meeting was attended by officials from across the country, including those from Oak Creek and Newtown where shootouts in a gurdwara and school had left several dead.

The President said his administration has initiated a host of measures, including a mechanism for effective nation-wide collection of data on arms, to ensure gun safety in the country.

“We recognise that this is an issue that elicits a lot of passion all across the country,” Obama said.

He, however, noted that a cooperation from Congress is inevitable in this regard as some “serious” laws need to be passed to restrict access to lethal weapons.

“As we have indicated before, the only way that we’re going to be able to do everything that needs to be done is with the cooperation of Congress,” Omaba said.

Terming the discussions as productive, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the meeting was part of the efforts undertaken to press forward on common-sense measures that can help reduce the scourge of gun violence in the country.

“It was an important and productive meeting. The President obviously believes that law enforcement plays an important role in discussions about how to move forward to reduce gun violence,” Carney said.