By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 30, 2012 at 9:19 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first
graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on
Sunday pledged to put his "full weight" behind legislation aimed at
preventing gun violence.
In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Obama voiced skepticism
about the National Rifle Association's proposal to put armed guards in
schools following the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn.
Instead, the president vowed to rally the American people around an
agenda to limit gun violence, adding that he still supports increased
background checks and bans on assault weapons and high capacity bullet
magazines. He left no doubt it will be one of his top priorities next
year.
"It is not enough for us to say, 'This is too hard so we're not going to try,'" Obama said.
"I think there are a vast majority of responsible gun owners out there
who recognize that we can't have a situation in which somebody with
severe psychological problems is able to get the kind of high capacity
weapons that this individual in Newtown obtained and gun down our kids,"
he added. "And, yes, it's going to be hard."
The president added that he's ready to meet with Republicans and Democrats, anyone with a stake in the issue.
The schoolhouse shootings, coming as families prepared for the holidays,
have elevated the issue of gun violence to the forefront of public
attention. Six adult staff members were also killed at the elementary
school. Shooter Adam Lanza committed suicide, apparently as police
closed in. Earlier, he had killed his mother at the home they shared.
The tragedy immediately prompted calls for greater gun controls. But the
NRA is strongly resisting those efforts, arguing instead that schools
should have armed guards for protection. Some gun enthusiasts have
rushed to buy semiautomatic rifles of the type used by Lanza, fearing
sales may soon be restricted.
Obama seemed unimpressed by the NRA proposal. "I am skeptical that the
only answer is putting more guns in schools," he said. "And I think the
vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is
going to solve our problem."
The president said he intends to press the issue with the public.
"The question then becomes whether we are actually shook up enough by
what happened here that it does not just become another one of these
routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks
and then it drifts away," Obama said. "It certainly won't feel like that
to me. This is something that - you know, that was the worst day of my
presidency. And it's not something that I want to see repeated."
Separately, a member of the president's cabinet said Sunday that rural
America may be ready to join a national conversation about gun control.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the debate has to start with
respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and a recognition
that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.
But Vilsack said Newtown has changed the way people see the issue. "I
really believe that this is a different circumstance and a different
situation and I think the president believes it as well, that this is
going to be sustained convention," Vilsack said on CNN.
Vilsack said he thinks it's possible for Americans to come together.
"It's potentially a unifying conversation," he said. "The problem is
that these conversations are always couched in the terms of dividing us.
This could be a unifying conversation and Lord knows we need to be
unified."
Besides passing gun violence legislation, Obama also listed deficit reduction and immigration
as top priorities for 2013. A big deficit reduction deal with
Republicans proved elusive this month and Obama is now hoping Senate
Democratic and Republican leaders salvage a scaled back plan that avoids
tax increases for virtually all Americans.
In addition, he issued a defense of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel
of Nebraska, who has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates to
replace Leon Panetta as secretary of defense.
Hagel, who opposed President George W. Bush's decision to go to war with
Iraq, has been criticized in conservative circles for not being a
strong enough ally of Israel. Also, many liberals and gay activists have
banded against him for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay
nominee for an ambassadorship
Obama, who briefly served with Hagel in the Senate, stressed that he had
yet to make a decision but called Hagel a "patriot."
Hagel "served this country with valor in Vietnam," the president said.
"And (he) is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence
advisory board and doing an outstanding job."
Obama noted that Hagel had apologized for his 14-year-old remark on gays.COPY http://global.nytimes.com/
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