At first I thought that he was only referring to 'the shores of Tripoli', but then it occurred to me that, as a widely celebrated student of history as well as the preeminent gun salesman of the 21st Century, Obama was also referring to the development of the classic M1911 pistol for the purpose of more effectively, um, dispatching enemy Muslim fighters during the Moro Rebellion. Yeah, that must be what he was thinking of.
Yes, the M1911 made a definite difference. :)