President Barack Obama will be joined by schoolchildren from around the nation when he announces his program to combat gun violence on Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
“They will be joined by children around the country expressing their concerns about gun violence and school safety, along with their parents,” Carney said on Tuesday,
the Washington Examiner reports.
Vice President Joseph Biden, whose gun-violence task force presented the recommendations to Obama, will also attend the news conference. Many of the children wrote to the president after the Dec. 14 shootings in Newtown, Conn.
President Obama specifically mentioned children during his December speech in response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six adults were killed.
“Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?” he asked, according to the Examiner. “I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.”
Obama is expected to present 19 gun-control proposals, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, and closing loopholes on background checks at gun shows and in private sales, the Examiner reports.
Many of the proposals Obama is expected to enact by executive order — though any specific move concerning gun control requires congressional approval.
The proposed changes, particularly an assault-weapons ban, is expected to be vigorously opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun groups, the Examiner reports.
Obama’s news conference is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.
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