Obama vows to reduce violence

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Monday pledged to "examine additional ways" to reduce violence in the wake of a shooting rampage at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, but stopped at making a push for new gun control laws.

"All of us are heartbroken by what's happened," Obama told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, a day after the suspect, identified as army veteran Wade Michael Page, killed six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin before being shot to death by police.

Obama ordered the US flags at the White House and all public buildings nationwide to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

According to the proclamation, flags should be flown at half- staff until sunset of August 10. It is also the second time in just about two weeks that Obama has ordered flags to be flown half- staff in wake of a shooting. In July, a shocking mass shooting broke out at a Colorado movie theater that claimed 12 lives and wounded nearly 60.

Obama said "these kinds of terrible, tragic events are happening with too much regularity" and vowed to "do some soul- searching" and to "examine additional ways" to reduce violence.

However, the White House ruled out the possibility that Obama would call for or push forward for new gun control laws in the aftermath of the two shooting rampages in about two weeks.

"I think there are a lot of elements involved in it, and what I want to do is to bring together law enforcement, community leaders, faith leaders, elected officials of every level to see how we can make continued progress," said Obama.

Obama also said that Americans would "recoil" at the violence if the victims' ethnicity turns out to be a factor in the shootings.

"We don't yet know fully what motivated this individual to carry out this terrible act." said Obama, "If it turns out, as some early reports indicate, that it may have been motivated in some way by the ethnicity of those who were attending the temple, I think the American people immediately recoil against those kinds of attitudes..."

At a press conference Monday morning, law enforcement officials said they were still investigating any possible motive for the temple attack.

However, also at the press conference, US Attorney James Santelle reflected that this was not the first time that the Sikh community had been a target of violence, noting a case in Arizona shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

"While we continue to be cautious about rushing to judgment, it is important to note that this is only one of a growing number of incidents of violence that Sikhs have experienced in recent years, " said Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition in a statement.

She also said it was "incredibly sad" that the victims were shot down while exercising their right of freedom of religion.

The organization for US Sikh community urged leaders to take steps to do more to prevent these crimes and promote tolerance.