US senators 'cowards' on gun control, says White House

The White House accused US senators of a "shameful display of cowardice" today and said they failed the American people by not advancing any gun control measures after the nation's largest mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, last week.
"Gun violence requires more than moments of silence," President Barack Obama said on Twitter. "It requires action. In failing that test, the Senate failed the American people."

Earlier, White House spokesman Josh Earnest appeared on morning television news shows excoriating the US Senate for rejecting on Monday four gun bills aimed at keeping firearms away from people with suspected ties to militants.
"What we saw last night on the floor of the United States Senate was a shameful display of cowardice," Earnest said on MSNBC.
After Monday's votes, the Senate turned away from gun control, at least temporarily, to debate a different tactic for battling domestic attacks that could be inspired by Islamic State and other foreign militant groups.
Senators were aiming to vote by Wednesday on legislation by Senator John McCain of Arizona expanding the Federal Bureau of Investigation's ability to conduct secret surveillance in counterterrorism...