It is time to do something: Obama on gun violence

Hitting the road once again in his trademark style, the US President Barack Obama has said it is "time to do something" to prevent the kind of deadly shooting incidents that has been happening in the country killing innocent people, including children.

"We don't have to agree on everything to agree it's time to do something. That's my main message here today. And each of us has a role to play," Obama said in his address to public meeting in Minneapolis yesterday.

Obama has always hit the road and addressed people to garner support for his view point whenever that is being opposed by the Congress or hits a road block at the Hill.

A few weeks ago, Obama said he took action on his own to strengthen background checks, to help schools get more resource officers if they want them, and to direct the Centers for Disease Control to study the causes of violence.

But now it is time that the Congress takes the stand that it needs to take on this issue, he argued.

"We've been able to take some steps through administrative action. But while these steps are important, real and lasting change also requires Congress to do its part and to do it soon, not to wait. The good news is that we're starting to see a consensus emerge about the action Congress needs to take," he said.

"The vast majority of Americans -- including a majority of gun owners -- support requiring criminal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun. So right now, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are working on a bill that would ban anyone from selling a gun to somebody legally prohibited from owning one. That's common sense. There's no reason we can't get that done," the US President said.

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