CHICAGO — President Barack Obama was teary-eyed as he cited Chicago's gun violence as a reason for his push for stricter gun control.
Obama, speaking Tuesday, plans to use his presidential powers to close loopholes that have allowed people to buy guns online, at gun shows and flea markets without undergoing backgrounds checks. The administration will also expand background checks and increase enforcement, Obama said.
Obama said the measures were needed to help stop gun violence, citing shootings in Chicago and throughout the country.
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"Our unalienable right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped from college kids in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers in Columbine, and from first graders in Newtown. First graders. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun," Obama said, wiping tears from his cheeks. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad.
"And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day," he added, garnering a round of applause.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed support for Obama's actions while also calling for Congress to tighten gun control. The city has seen more than 12,000 shootings since 2010.
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"While we have taken important steps in the city of Chicago to keep guns out of the wrong hands, we are not an island," Emanuel said in a statement. "Our gun safety laws will only be as effective as our federal laws and the laws of our neighboring states.
"So while I strongly support the President’s actions, I continue to urge Congress to put politics aside and adopt common-sense gun safety measures that will save lives and make our communities safer and stronger.”
Tuesday's announcement was not the first time Obama, who has close ties to Chicago, has spoken out against the city's gun violence:
• In October, Obama said it was easier to get a gun than vegetables in parts of Chicago
• In December, he tweeted out his support for a Chicago anti-gun violence campaign
• After a violent month, he visited the city to talk about gun violence in February 2013
• Also in February 2013, First Lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old who had been shot and killed
• Obama and then-Police Supt. Garry McCarthy met to discuss gun control in January 2013
Watch the announcement:
