Orlando Shooting Latest: Obama Consoles Victims' Families, Calls for Gun Reforms

Orlando, FL — President Barack Obama met Thursday with the families of victims and the survivors of a mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub on June 12.

Omar Mateen opened fire in the crowded club just after closing time early Sunday, killing 49 and injuring 53 others.

Obama was seen exiting Air Force One early Thursday afternoon with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a show of bipartisan unity. The president met with shooting victims privately. Along with Vice President Joe Biden, Obama paid his respects at a memorial honoring the victims.

Mateen was carrying a handgun and an assault rifle he'd purchased legally just days before the shooting.

"Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families," Obama said. "I truly hope that senators rise to the moment and do the right thing. we can stop some tragedies. We can save some lives. If we don't act, we will keep seeing more massacres like this."

The Senate is not addressing assault weapons access, but the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on two gun control measures after a nearly 15-hour filibuster by Democrats frustrated by the latest mass tragedy.

The president has made these trips to comfort victims of mass shootings in the past, most notably to speak with the families of the victims in Newtown, Connecticut and last year in Charleston, South Carolina.

“He hugged each one of us individually — and I mean hug, so that I was able to smell his cologne,” Sharon Risher, who lost her mother and two cousins in the Charleston church shooting, told the New York Times. “It was not a little pat on the back. The intimacy of that hug is what I’ll always remember.”

The president's response to Orlando has drawn comparisons to those previous tragedies and others. For the first time, though, Obama's calls for gun reform and pledges to stand with families comes in the heat of an election battle. And, at least for this week, the focus of the campaign has been what government can do to prevent the next mass shooting.

Speaking hours after the killings, the president pressed his argument for "common-sense" gun reforms.

Joining Obama in his frustration, dozens of Democrats spoke on the floor of the Senate far into the night Wednesday. They were filibustering in hopes of pressing key votes on two gun control measures: universal background checks on gun purchases and a ban on gun buys for individuals on the federal terror watch list.

"It doesn't take courage to stand here on the floor of the United State Senate for two hours or four hours or 14 hours or to stand up here when 90 percent of your constituents want change to happen," said Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who launched the filibuster.

It appeared Senate leaders were willing to allow the votes, but it's unlikely there will be enough support from Republicans for the measures to pass.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told the press on Thursday that the issue isn't gun control, the "real issue is terrorism."

See also:

• Gun Violence Filibuster Ends After Nearly 15 Hours; Vote on Deck
• 'Sand Castle Man' Pays Tribute to Orlando Shooting Victims

Vigils and fundraising continued across the country for the victims in the shooting. In California, a towering sand castle reads, "Orlando, We Love You! America and the World Must Stand Strong Against Terrorism." The masterpiece was created by Bill Pavlacka, also known as the "Sand Castle Man."

There has also been an increase in threats to LGBT communities elsewhere in the country.

San Diego and federal authorities are investigating a post on the local Craigslist site that read, "Orlando was long overdue. Cleanse your community of the filth that gives decent gay men and women a bad name. Those people were walking diseases, bug chasers, and thank god for AIDS and 9-11 and now Orlando. San Diego you are next.'"

Walmart has announced that the retail giant has fired an unidentified Georgia employee who posted a comment on social media that the shooting in Orlando was, "someone doing Community Service."

See also:

• Craigslist Ad Threatens San Diego Gays, Says 'Orlando Was Long Overdue': Report
• Walmart Fires Man Who Allegedly Said Orlando Shootings Were 'Community Service'

Photo: City of Orlando on Facebook