Story highlights
- President Obama ratcheted up calls for gun control
- Republicans have leveled withering criticism over his response to the San Bernardino massacre
Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama said Saturday that it is "insane" that people who are not allowed to fly on planes are allowed to buy guns.
"Right now, people on the No-Fly list can walk into a store and buy a gun. That is insane. If you're too dangerous to board a plane, you're too dangerous, by definition, to buy a gun," he said in his weekly address. "And so I'm calling on Congress to close this loophole, now. We may not be able to prevent every tragedy, but -- at a bare minimum -- we shouldn't be making it so easy for potential terrorists or criminals to get their hands on a gun that they could use against Americans."
Republicans have leveled withering criticism of Obama for tying the massacre to gun control. And also for not, in their view, playing up the terror aspect most immediately.
Still, the possibility that the San Bernardino, California, shooting suspects were radicalized confirms the need for people "to work together" to prevent this from happening, Obama said.
"We know that ISIL and other terrorist groups are actively encouraging people -- around the world and in our country -- to commit terrible acts of violence, often times as lone wolf actors," the president said. "And even as we work to prevent attacks, all of us -- government, law enforcement, communities, faith leaders -- need to work together to prevent people from falling victim to these hateful ideologies."
Photos: San Bernardino shooting
Photos: San Bernardino shooting
Police officers stand guard as they investigate a suspicious vehicle in Redlands, California, on Wednesday, December 2, after a mass shooting in nearby San Bernardino in which 14 people died and 21 were injured. The shooting took place at the Inland Regional Center, where employees with the county health department were attending a holiday event. The two shooters -- Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik -- were fatally shot in a gun battle with police hours after the initial incident. Farook worked for the county health department.
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A police officer places a marker along East San Bernardino Avenue, near where the shootout occurred.
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Law enforcement officers search a residential area for suspects who fled after the shooting.
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Police search for the suspects in San Bernardino.
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The residential area was not far from where the shooting occurred.
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Law enforcement officers search a neighborhood in San Bernardino.
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A police officer loads his weapon while pursuing suspects.
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A SWAT team mobilizes during the search.
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People pray on the San Bernardino Golf Course, across the street from where the shooting took place.
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Heavily armed law enforcement officers swarmed the area where the shooting occurred.
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People leave a community center after reuniting with friends and family in the aftermath of the shootings.
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A woman is comforted near the scene of the shooting.
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A police helicopter hovers around the Inland Regional Center.
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Luis Gutierrez gets emotional as he talks about his wife who works in the facility and saw a gunman, according to Los Angeles Times photographer Marcus Yam.
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Two women speak with a firefighter at a triage area near the scene.
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Police stand guard outside of the emergency room at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, where some of the victims were being treated.
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Police escort civilians away from the site of the shooting.
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People walk away from the scene. It is unclear how many people were at the facility at the time of the shooting.
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Police in SWAT gear secure the area.
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Two women embrace at a community center where family members were gathering to pick up people from the scene.
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People gather at the San Bernardino Golf Course.
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People talk to police at the golf course.
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A woman is wheeled away on a stretcher.
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People are moved away from the area by bus.
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Police and fire personnel are seen near the site of the shooting.
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A crowd gathers behind the police line.
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Ambulances pull out of a staging area near the Inland Regional Center.
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A SWAT vehicle carries police officers.
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SWAT teams and a bomb squad were working to clear the buildings where the shootings took place.
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Authorities say Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik -- one, a U.S. citizen and the other, a permanent resident -- shot and killed 14 people at a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center. Both were killed in a police shootout, and officials said thousands of rounds of ammunition and 12 pipe bombs were found in the couple's apartment.
"It is entirely possible that these two attackers were radicalized to commit this act of terror. And if so, it would underscore a threat we've been focused on for years -- the danger of people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies," Obama said.
