WASHINGTON – Frustrated by deep political resistance to new gun laws, President Obama on Thursday tried to regain momentum in his drive to pass legislation next month with an impassioned plea to remember the horror of the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last December.
Standing in front of mothers of gun victims invited to the White House, Mr. Obama scolded lawmakers for not embracing the most sweeping of his ideas and objected to the notion that the country has moved on three months after 20 children and six adults were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“Less than 100 days ago that happened, and the entire country was shocked and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different,” Mr. Obama said, his voice rising with indignation. “Shame on us if we’ve forgotten. I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”
The president’s remarks came as his proposal to reinstate an assault weapon ban has faltered in the Senate and another proposal to expand criminal background checks appears in trouble as well. Another measure to increase penalties on straw purchasers has more support. Mr. Obama described the gun package as one of his top priorities when he unveiled it in January but he has come under criticism from some allies for not doing more to pressure lawmakers into adopting it. The Senate is preparing to begin a floor debate on gun laws when lawmakers return the week of April 8.
Mr. Obama’s appearance in the East Room was unusual. Rather than read from teleprompters, he seemed to speak extemporaneously much of the time and expressed irritation in a way that the generally reserved president does not often do. At some moments, he paused and took a breath as if collecting himself and circled back to some of his points for emphasis.
He seemed particularly irked at the suggestion that he had waited too long to push through his measures and had frittered away the political support for gun control in the wake of the Newtown shootings. A CBS News poll this week showed that support for tougher gun laws has fallen to 47 percent, down from 57 percent immediately after the massacre.
“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Mr. Obama said. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. And I want to make sure every American is listening today.”
“We need everybody to remember how we felt 100 days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn’t just a bunch of platitudes, that we meant it,” he added. To lawmakers, he said, “Don’t get squishy because time has passed and maybe it’s not on the news every single day.”
Mr. Obama called on Americans to contact lawmakers, saying it will take a popular support to overcome resistance to new gun laws.
“Tears aren’t enough,” he said. “Expressions of sympathy aren’t enough. Speeches aren’t enough. We’ve cried enough. We’ve known enough heartbreak. What we’re proposing is not radical. It’s not taking away anybody’s gun rights. It’s something that if we are serious, we will do. Now’s the time to turn that heartbreak into something real.”
An advocacy group led by Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Thomas M. Menino of Boston said it was convening 120 events across the nation in support of gun measures. The group, called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, also broadcast ads in Connecticut featuring relatives of Sandy Hook victims calling for expanded background checks and other measures.
Mr. Obama failed to persuade his own party’s leader in the Senate to include an assault weapon ban in the gun measure being sent to the floor. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, refused to include the ban, although he has said he will allow supporters to offer it as an amendment with an up-or-down vote. Supporters acknowledge they do not have enough votes to pass it.
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, is preparing his own bill as an alternative to Mr. Reid’s measure, Politico reported. Mr. Grassley supported school safety measures and tougher penalties for straw purchases but opposed the assault weapon ban and the expanded background checks.
Standing in front of mothers of gun victims invited to the White House, Mr. Obama scolded lawmakers for not embracing the most sweeping of his ideas and objected to the notion that the country has moved on three months after 20 children and six adults were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“Less than 100 days ago that happened, and the entire country was shocked and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different,” Mr. Obama said, his voice rising with indignation. “Shame on us if we’ve forgotten. I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”
The president’s remarks came as his proposal to reinstate an assault weapon ban has faltered in the Senate and another proposal to expand criminal background checks appears in trouble as well. Another measure to increase penalties on straw purchasers has more support. Mr. Obama described the gun package as one of his top priorities when he unveiled it in January but he has come under criticism from some allies for not doing more to pressure lawmakers into adopting it. The Senate is preparing to begin a floor debate on gun laws when lawmakers return the week of April 8.
Mr. Obama’s appearance in the East Room was unusual. Rather than read from teleprompters, he seemed to speak extemporaneously much of the time and expressed irritation in a way that the generally reserved president does not often do. At some moments, he paused and took a breath as if collecting himself and circled back to some of his points for emphasis.
He seemed particularly irked at the suggestion that he had waited too long to push through his measures and had frittered away the political support for gun control in the wake of the Newtown shootings. A CBS News poll this week showed that support for tougher gun laws has fallen to 47 percent, down from 57 percent immediately after the massacre.
“The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in Newtown happens and we’ve moved on to other things?” Mr. Obama said. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. And I want to make sure every American is listening today.”
“We need everybody to remember how we felt 100 days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn’t just a bunch of platitudes, that we meant it,” he added. To lawmakers, he said, “Don’t get squishy because time has passed and maybe it’s not on the news every single day.”
Mr. Obama called on Americans to contact lawmakers, saying it will take a popular support to overcome resistance to new gun laws.
“Tears aren’t enough,” he said. “Expressions of sympathy aren’t enough. Speeches aren’t enough. We’ve cried enough. We’ve known enough heartbreak. What we’re proposing is not radical. It’s not taking away anybody’s gun rights. It’s something that if we are serious, we will do. Now’s the time to turn that heartbreak into something real.”
An advocacy group led by Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Thomas M. Menino of Boston said it was convening 120 events across the nation in support of gun measures. The group, called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, also broadcast ads in Connecticut featuring relatives of Sandy Hook victims calling for expanded background checks and other measures.
Mr. Obama failed to persuade his own party’s leader in the Senate to include an assault weapon ban in the gun measure being sent to the floor. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, refused to include the ban, although he has said he will allow supporters to offer it as an amendment with an up-or-down vote. Supporters acknowledge they do not have enough votes to pass it.
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, is preparing his own bill as an alternative to Mr. Reid’s measure, Politico reported. Mr. Grassley supported school safety measures and tougher penalties for straw purchases but opposed the assault weapon ban and the expanded background checks.