President Obama furthered his gun control message today when addressing the massacre in Orlando that killed 50 people, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

'Although it's still early in the investigation we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate,' Obama said, making no reference to ISIS or Islamic terror in his brief remarks.

Obama called the shooting spree, at the gay nightclub Pulse during Pride month in the United States, a reminder of how easy it is for someone to get a hold of a weapon that could kill people in a 'school, or a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub'.

'And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be,' Obama said.

'And to actively do nothing is a decision as well,' the president added.

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President Obama spoke to the American people this afternoon about the country's latest mass casualty shooting. Last night 50 were killed at an Orlando gay nightclub

Obama said of the shooting spree that it was a reminder of how easy it is for someone to get a hold of a weapon that could kill people in a 'school, or a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub'

President Obama only spoke for a handful of minutes, but reminded the country of his position on gun control, though didn't bring up 'radical Islamic terror,' the line Republicans use to define the ISIS crisis

The president started his remarks by addressing where things stood in the investigation.

'We are still learning the facts. This is an open investigation. We have reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer,' Obama said.

The gunman has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen. He had called 911 before he staged his attack and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, NBC News reported.

'What is clear is that he was a person filled with hate,' Obama said.

Omar Mateen, 29, pictured above, had called 911 before he staged his attack and pledged allegiance to ISIS

Aerial view on Sunday of the mass shooting scene at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The three-hour rampage killed at least 50 people

The president said that the shooting was 'especially heartbreaking' for Americans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

'The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live,' Obama noted.

'The place where they were attacked was more than a nightclub, it was a place of solidarity, of empowerment, where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights,' he continued.

A mini van outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando which is believed to have been used by the shooter

FBI, Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Office personnel investigate the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando

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'So this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, is an attack on all of us and of the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define of us a country,' the president added.

Obama noted the historical nature of the shooting – setting a record for the nation's worst – before making his gun control pitch.

'The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a powerful assault rifle,' Obama said.

President Obama has took to the podium in the aftermath of many shootings during his almost eight years in office.

Mark Knoller, the longtime CBS newsman who keeps track of these kinds of things, think today's message from the president is at least Obama's 20th time remarking on a shooting incident.

Directly beforehand, he was challenged by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to connect 'radical Islamic terrorism' to the case.

Obama didn't once bring up the Islamic religion, instead using the more blanket term of terrorism to describe the incident.

'Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism? If he doesn't he should immediately resign in disgrace!' Trump wrote.

Kelvin Cobaris, a local clergyman, consoles Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, right, and Terry DeCarlo, an Orlando gay rights advocate, as they arrive on the scene near Pulse nightclub

Donald Trump challenged President Obama to use the terminology 'radical Islamic terrorism' in the president's brief remarks. Obama did no such thing

Mark Knoller of CBS News keeps track of all sorts of White House history and noted that President Obama had given a public remark after a shooting at least 20 times during his nearly eight years in office

Later, in a statement, Trump knocked the president again.

'In his remarks today, President Obama disgracefully refused to even say the words "Radical Islam." For that reason alone he should step down,' Trump continued.

Obama was supposed to hit the campaign trail for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton this week, but because of the massacre, the Wednesday event in Wisconsin has been postponed.