Obama’s frustration that Congress did not approve meaningful gun control legislation after the Newtown, Conn. Elementary school massacre in 2012 burst into the open on Thursday when he spoke to the public about the latest gun violence: nine people killed in a South Carolina church.

“At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries,” Obama said.  

The president has faced gun violence in schools, a movie theater, a congressional meet-and-greet event and now a church during his tenure. He’s known some of the victims well — including former Rep. Gabbie Giffords (D-Ariz.) and Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, one of the South Carolina victims.

Obama has issued executive actions on guns, but has been powerless in getting Congress to take tougher steps. On Thursday, he signaled he realizes this won’t change in his final months in office.

“It is in our power to do something” to reduce gun violence, he said. “I say that recognizing the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now.”