Courtesy The White House

But as I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I said each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough. —President Obama

Everything has its place. Anger rarely does. “Rarely,” however doesn’t mean never.

Speaking with anger before an audience should be limited to only the most extreme and extraordinary circumstances. Another mass shooting, this time at Umqpua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon that left 10 dead and seven injured, would be one of those times.

For the record, mass shootings in the United States occur at a shockingly regular rate: about every two weeks. That is not OK.

We must fight the urge to become numb to gun violence and mass shootings. President Obama’s righteous anger in this case is a way of focusing the public’s attention on these horrible acts.

Listen to the speech and read the transcript.

The manner in which the President delivered his remarks last evening should be noted.

His message? Even more so.

This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction. —President Obama