Did we expect a different reaction... 

Jose A. DelReal and Juliet Eilperin for The Washington Post report:

President Obama on Thursday expressed “deep sorrow” over the “senseless murders" in Charleston, S.C., where nine people were killed in a church shooting Wednesday night, blaming ineffective gun laws and issuing a sharp condemnation of the politics surrounding gun control legislation.

"Any death of this sort is a tragedy. Any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There is something particularly heartbreaking about the death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship,” the president said from the White House, with Vice President Biden standing by his side.

"....I say that recognizing the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now," he said. "But it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it.  And at some point it’s going to be important for the American people to come to grips with it, and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively."

Read the full story at The Washington Post.