Obama’s day: Oregon, Washington, California

“The president has made clear that the goal of his visit is to spend time with the families of those who are so deeply affected by this bad tragedy”, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

A few of the protesters carried holstered handguns.

Holding signs saying the president was not welcome, more than 200 gun-rights activists protested Barack Obama’s visit on Friday to Oregon to meet with the families of victims of last week’s campus killings. At least one parent of a survivor of the mass shooting says his family will not meet with the president.

The protests are expected to take place on intersections near the airport where Obama’s helicopter will touch down.

The attitude is shared by many people in the conservative region where it is common for residents to own guns for hunting, target shooting and self-protection.

A memorial service for one of the nine victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting was held on Friday in Roseburg.

“And what’s become routine, of course, is the response of those who oppose any kind of common-sense gun legislation”, Obama said.

The schedules for services for numerous people killed in the Umpqua Community College shooting were finalized Tuesday.

In the wake of the shooting, a visibly angry Obama said that thoughts and prayers are no longer enough and that changes to the nation’s gun laws are needed.

In news conferences after last week’s shooting, Hanlin said that he does not want to politicize the issue of gun ownership right now.

Douglas County commissioners released a conciliatory statement Thursday welcoming the president. “We need to, first of all, fix our background check law”, Anderson said.

Measures being discussed by the White House include new background checks on individuals purchasing weapons from high-volume gun dealers and requiring dealers who exceed a set number of sales to obtain a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.