As tears streamed down his face, Barack Obama condemned the gun violence and mass shootings that have become routine in the United States in recent years, while introducing a new raft of executive actions to tackle gun control.
During his speech, the President became emotional as he remembered the “college kids” and “first graders” who have died in gun attacks, and paid tribute to “every family who never imagined their loved one would be taken by a bullet from a gun.”
He then went on to outline his new measures. These include stricter licensing rules for those selling guns, tougher criminal background checks for gun buyers, and 230 new FBI agents to process these.
“Contrary to claims of some presidential candidates apparently before this meeting, this is not a plot to take away everybody’s guns,” he said. “You pass a background check, you can purchase a firearm.”
“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage.”
Story: NY Times
