San Bernardino shooting: Prayers offered in wake of tragedy that killed 14
A mass shooting in California on Wednesday, which killed 14 and wounded 17 others, was the 355th to take place in America this year alone.
Two assailants opened fire at a centre for people with disabilities in San Bernardino on 2 December. The attackers have been identified as 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. They were both killed in a shoot-out with police, and a third suspect has been detained, though it is not clear whether he was involved in the incident.
Following the shooting, there was an outpouring of grief and solidarity with the victims online, with many – including prominent Christian activist Shane Claibourne – criticising US gun laws for being too lenient.
As we grieve all those killed in #SanBernardino -- we also grieve the 89 people who die every day in the US from gun violence.
— Shane Claiborne (@ShaneClaiborne) December 3, 2015It doesn't have to be this way.
pic.twitter.com/iWXigFRgwD
— Shane Claiborne (@ShaneClaiborne) December 2, 2015My heart is heavy because of the shootings in San Bernardino. Praying for all the people affected by this tragedy.
— Judah Smith (@judahsmith) December 2, 2015Sending prayer to victims of #SanBernadino .
Another senseless #terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/t4RhM80Jop
— Hanif J. Williams (@HanifJWilliams) December 3, 2015Pray for @SanBernardinoPD, @SBCountySheriff and all those responding to the active shooter at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 2, 2015Oh, the anguish, anger and sorrow for the victims and families in neighboring San Bernardino. God, have mercy.
— Kay Warren (@KayWarren1) December 2, 2015Mass shootings are becoming an almost-everyday occurrence in this country. This sickening and senseless gun violence must stop.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 2, 2015Many people have drawn particular attention to the way that prayers are immediately offered in the aftermath of such tragedies, yet little is done practically to tighten gun laws.
What @POTUS said after Oregon bears repeating: "Our thoughts and prayers are not enough." #SanBernardino
— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) December 2, 2015President Obama has repeatedly advocated for greater restrictions on gun ownership, and following a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon in October told reporters that "prayers are not enough".
"This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction," he said.
Following yesterday's incident, Obama said the pattern of mass shootings in the US "has no parallel anywhere else in the world."
"We should never think that this is just something that just happens in the ordinary course of events because it doesn't happen with the same frequency in other countries," he told CBS News.
"There's some steps we could take, not to eliminate every one of these mass shootings, but to improve the odds that they don't happen as frequently."
