Obama Calls for Calm, Says Americans Need to Ask if 'We’re Doing All We Can to Stem the Tide of Gun Violence' After Zimmerman Verdict

President Barack Obama called for all Americans to reflect on what they can do to lessen gun violence in the country in the wake of George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

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"The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America," Obama said in a statement Sunday. "I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son."

"And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin," the statement said.

Obama famously weighed in on Martin's shooting last year when he said, "if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."

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