Gun Control Plan Will be Announced in Days, Obama Says

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Obama: Gun Control Plan Will Come in Days

President Barack Obama will present specifics of his plan on how to reduce gun violence later this week.

President Barack Obama said Monday he will present specifics on how to reduce gun violence later this week but he affirmed that stronger background checks, a "meaningful" ban on assault weapons and limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines are all ideas that make sense.

Obama said at his final news conference of his first term in office that he is reviewing a list of proposals on reducing gun violence even as the country's top gun lobbying group insists Congress doesn't have enough votes to pass a ban on assault weapons. The president said he's not sure how many of those measures can pass Congress, but he can also use the executive power of his office to make change.

Obama said he expects Congress to set aside politics and focus on common-sense steps that can make a difference. "Members of Congress are going to have to ... examine their own conscience," he said.

Obama asked Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task force on ways to reduce violence after the December school shooting in Connecticut that killed 27 people, mostly children, exactly one month ago.

Obama is expected to announce the next steps on gun violence after he is inaugurated over the weekend and enters his second term.

The National Rifle Association has so far prevented passage of another assault weapons ban like the one that expired in 2004. But some lawmakers say last month's school shooting, by a gunman with a legally purchased high-powered rifle, has transformed the debate and that Americans are ready for stricter gun laws.

The NRA, with a history of punishing lawmakers who stray from its point of view, disagrees.

"When a president takes all the power of his office, if he's willing to expend political capital, you don't want to make predictions," NRA president David Keene told CNN on Sunday. "You don't want to bet your house on the outcome. But I would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress."

In Connecticut, a group launched the Sandy Hook Promise, a group calling for national dialogue to help prevent tragedies like the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into the school on Dec. 14 and killed 26 before committing suicide as police arrived. He also killed his mother at their Newtown home.

Nicole Hockley, who son Dylan was among the 20 children killed, said she still finds herself reaching for her son's hand or expecting him to crawl into bed with her for a hug before school.

"It's so hard to believe he's gone," said Hockley, who was among several parents to speak Monday at the launch of Sandy Hook Promise. Parents held photos of their children, spoke in wavering voices, cried and hugged.

"I do not want to be someone sharing my experience and consoling another parent next time. I do not want there to be a next time," Hockley said.

The group did not offer specific remedies, saying it wants to have open-minded discussions about a range of issues, including guns, mental health and safety in schools and other public places. Several speakers said they did not believe there was a single solution.

States and cities also have a say. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders had a tentative deal to enact the nation's first gun control measure since the Connecticut shooting, according to people familiar with the negotiations. That would further tighten gun laws in a state that already has among the nation's strictest. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal had not been discussed among all legislators.

And New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg continued his vocal call for stricter gun control, urging Obama and Congress to increase background check requirements for firearms purchases and get tougher on gun trafficking.

"These guns are not designed for sport or home defense," Bloomberg said. "They are designed to kill large numbers of people quickly."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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