Barack Obama urges Congress to reinstate assault weapons ban

Washington: President Barack Obama has challenged Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban and make it harder for terrorist to kill Americans.

Obama spoke on Tuesday after meeting with his National Security Council. Democrat Hillary Clinton has called for a similar ban, while Republican Donald Trump is opposing reinstatement of the ban.

The shooter in the Orlando attack, Omar Mateen, used a military-style assault weapon to blast away at an Orlando nightclub, killing 49 people.

The ban on semi-automatic assault weapons that expired in 2004. The large majority of Republicans in Congress and some pro-gun Democrats have opposed reinstatement of the ban.