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Black lawmakers urge Obama to act on gun control

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday told members of the Congressional Black Caucus he will focus on gun violence, an administration official said.

The official, whose name was not reported, said the president "reaffirmed his commitment" to the issue during the White House meeting -- his first meeting with the CBC in more than two years -- The Hill reported.

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CBC members have been among the most vocal advocates of tougher federal gun laws.

The White House meeting also covered issues such as the economy, education, veterans affairs and immigration, the report said.

CBC Chairwoman Martha Fudge, D-Ohio, said after the meeting there are "obvious differences in the way we want things to go forward and the way the White House wants to move things forward."

A White House official said Obama and the CBC are "on the same page but they way they want to execute some of these ideas is different."

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. -- the third-ranking Democrat in the House -- said the CBC members asked the president to target broadband deployment, infrastructure improvement and other initiatives to "communities of need."

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"The president was supportive to that approach," Clyburn said.

A White House aide said Obama and the CBC members also discussed strategies for responding to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling throwing out a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

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