U.N. rights boss urges tighter U.S. gun control after Orlando killings

[June 14, 2016]  GENEVA (Reuters) - The top United Nations human rights official called on U.S. authorities on Tuesday to adopt "robust gun control measures" to protect citizens in the wake of the latest mass killing in Orlando, Florida.

United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein arrives for the 31st session of the Human Rights Council at the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 29, 2016. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

"It is hard to find a rational justification that explains the ease with which people can buy firearms, including assault rifles, in spite of prior criminal backgrounds, drug use, histories of domestic violence and mental illness, or direct contact with extremists – both domestic and foreign," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement after a gunman shot dead 49 people in a gay club on Sunday.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay)

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