By John Gregory/Illinois Radio Network
CHICAGO – President Obama calls for tougher gun laws in a speech to police chiefs in Chicago.
Speaking at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Obama outlined three broad areas for reducing violent crime in the United States: providing better resources to law enforcement, reforming the criminal justice system, and more gun control, such as an assault weapons ban and universal background checks.
He said meeting with families of officers killed in the line of duty makes him frustrated over lack of movement on gun laws.
“When I meet with these families, I can’t honestly tell them that our country has done everything we could to keep this from happening again,” Obama said.
Obama also touched on the racial tensions that can exist between police and a community. He said divides don’t pop up “out of nowhere,” but also said he rejects the idea that all officers should be considered suspect due to the actions of a few, reasoning that “there’s no profession that doesn’t have somebody who sometimes screws up.”
