WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday that President Barack Obama is not pushing for new gun-control legislation even though he still supports a ban on assault weapons.
Spokesman Jay Carney said Obama intends to focus on other ways to combat violence.
Carney’s comments Thursday are the latest sign that Obama won’t engage lawmakers in a drive for new laws, bowing to congressional opposition to additional gun restrictions.
Carney said Obama will work to enhance existing gun laws.
In a speech Wednesday to the National Urban League in New Orleans, Obama said he’s willing to work with both parties in Congress to find a national consensus that addresses violence. Obama’s speech came six days after the shootings in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater that left 12 people dead.