ROC4LIFE

President Barack Obama has done something he hasn’t done in a minute — respond directly to a “We the People” petition. His message to those seeking stricter gun measures: “We hear you.”

The White House established “We the People” to entertain policy ideas from Americans. It’s rare for the president to respond directly, but he (understandably) went out of his way to acknowledge the concerns of thousands of people who want to see concrete gun control laws. In the light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, a rash of gun petitions broke out on the White House website. There are over 30 petitions with more than 200,000 signatures from all 50 states.

In a White House video addressing the nation, Obama spoke at length about his desire to pass a bill that “protects our gun rights and protects our children.”

“Here’s what I think we should do,” Obama says in the video. “This week I called on Congress to take up and pass legislation that has the support of the majority of the American people, including banning the sale of military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips and making sure criminals cannot take advantage of legal loopholes to get their hands on a gun.”

He reiterated some of the points he made in his speech following the shooting that claimed 26 lives. The president says he has also dispatched Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task-force on proposals.

“I also tasked the Vice President with leading an effort to come up with a comprehensive set of serious proposals to keep our children safe, including strengthening school safety, improving mental health care and addressing a culture that too often glorifies guns and violence. I asked for these proposals by January, and I will push for them early in the year.

The president adds: “I will do everything in my power as president to advance these efforts. Because if there’s even one thing we can do as a country to protect our children, we have a responsibility to try.

Watch the video below.

— Rizoh