WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is urging Americans to press Congress to support his proposals to tackle gun violence. As he begins his second term, the president says in his weekly radio and Internet address that Americans should ask lawmakers why a good rating from the gun lobby is more important than keeping kids safe. He's referring to the powerful National Rifle Association, which opposes his new gun proposals. The president says he's taking steps right away but Congress also must act. He's asking lawmakers to pass an assault-weapons ban, universal background checks and limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines. In the Republican address, Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford is focusing on financial matters. He says any budget Congress approves must address government spending and debt. ___ Online: Obama address: http://www.whitehouse.gov Republican address: http://www.youtube.com/HouseConference
Obama urges action to tackle gun violence
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FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 file photo, a clerk peers out from a gun shop in Seattle. The reaction to the Connecticut school shooting can be seen in gun stores and self-defense retailers across the nation: Anxious parents are fueling sales of armored backpacks for children while firearms enthusiasts are stocking up on assault rifles in anticipation of tighter gun control measures. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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FILE - This Jan. 16, 2013 file photo shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, gesturing as he talks about proposals to reduce gun violence, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington. Supporters of President Barack Obama's gun control plans are plotting a methodical, state-by-state campaign to try to persuade key lawmakers that it's in their political interest to back new restrictions. To do that, they have to overcome two decades of conventional wisdom that gun control is bad politics _ and the National Rifle Association is confident its supporters will prevail. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
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