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"The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it," Obama saysBy Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff

12.09.15

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a rare Oval Office speech Sunday night, President Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans scared by recent attacks in Paris and California. He vowed that the United States will overcome the threat of terror.

Obama's speech from his White House office came less than a week after a married couple launched an attack in San Bernardino, California. The attack killed 14 people and wounded 21 others. Officials say the wife pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a Facebook post. Also known as ISIS, the extremist group wants to set up a country under its version of Islamic law. The group's fighters have captured parts of Syria and Iraq.

"I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure," Obama said. "The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it."

Obama said that there was no evidence the shooters were directed by an extremist group overseas or were part of a bigger plot.

"This was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people," Obama said.

Call For Cooperation, Gun Control

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Obama's decision to speak during the evening is unusual. His staff at the White House are concerned that people haven't been paying attention to what he has been saying about the recent attacks, so they scheduled the speech at a time when most people could listen.

Yet Obama's speech was not likely to satisfy his critics. He did not announce any major changes in the United States plan for defeating Islamic State.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that nothing in Obama's speech will reduce people's fears. He is a Republican candidate for president.

Obama did call for cooperation between companies and law enforcement. He said they must ensure potential attackers cannot use technology to hide from the police. Islamic State fighters use smartphone apps to hide their conversations. He urged Congress to authorize more military strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Obama also asked Congress to pass a law to stop guns from being sold to people on the no-fly list. People on the government list are considered possible threats and are not allowed to fly in or out of the United States.

The president also urged Americans to not turn against Muslims at home. He said Islamic State is driven by a desire to spark a war between Western countries and Islam. Still, he called on Muslims in the U.S. and around the world to fight extremism.

He called the spread of extremism in Muslim communities in the United States "a real problem." It is one "Muslims must confront without excuse," he said.

"What We Can Do, And Must Do"

The president did order the government to take a look at one part of the visa program. It gives permission for men and women engaged to marry U.S. citizens to enter the country. The female shooter in California used it to come to the United States.

Obama also repeated his call for better gun control legislation. He said that no matter how good law enforcement and intelligence agencies are, they cannot identify every would-be shooter. He called it a matter of national security to prevent potential killers from getting guns.

"What we can do, and must do, is make it harder for them to kill," he said.

Obama stands little chance of getting Congress to agree to any gun control measures, as Republicans typically oppose gun control laws. On Thursday, the Senate rejected a bill that would have banned suspected extremists from buying firearms. Gun rights supporters say it would violate the rights of people who have not been convicted of crimes.

During Sunday's speech, Obama repeated that he opposed sending more American troops to the Middle East to fight Islamic State.

The president's critics — and increasingly, some members of his own Democratic Party — have questioned his plan. Hours before he spoke, leading Democratic presidential candidate

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Hillary Clinton said the U.S. is "not winning" the fight against the Islamic State. Clinton is Obama's former secretary of state.

The Deadly Attack In Paris

Obama has insisted that Islamic State is not growing stronger in Iraq and Syria. However, the group has launched attacks elsewhere in the world.

On Nov. 13, ISIS carried out its most violent attack in Europe. Gunmen killed 130 people at several places in Paris, France, and wounded hundreds more.

In last week's attack, a woman from Pakistan and her American-born Pakistani husband fired weapons at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating it as an act of terror. If proved, it would be the deadliest attack by Islamic extremists on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001, which destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City. More than 3,000 people died that day in attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania.

The woman pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a Facebook post, according to a U.S. official. A Facebook official said the statement was posted about the time the couple carried out their attack.

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