White House slams Congress’ inaction over gun controlJune 14, 2016 - 11:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The White House on Monday, June 13 demanded the Republican-controlled Congress pass legislation blocking extremists from obtaining assault weapons like the one used in the deadly shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, AFP says. "There are certain common sense things that Congress could do that would make it harder for any individual to get their hands on a weapon of war," said spokesman Josh Earnest following the Orlando shooting. "The president has been quite frustrated, and in some cases even angry, about congressional inaction," he said. The White House singled out the AR-15, an assault weapon that was used by Omar Mateen in a rampage that killed 49 revelers at the Pulse nightclub. Earnest said the weapon was designed for the battlefield, not for Florida's streets, AFP says. For much of his eight years in office, Obama has butted heads with Congress over gun control. A previous ban on assault weapons was in place for a decade, but lapsed under George W. Bush's presidency. The White House blamed Republican fear of the high-spending gun lobby -- particularly the National Rifle Association -- for the unwillingness by conservatives to vote for the ban. The organization pours tens of millions of dollars into the election campaigns of pro-gun politicians, AFP says. "The president believes that ban on assault weapons should be reinstated," Earnest said. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |