Tearful Obama pleads for urgency on gun control

11:45 a.m. Monday at White House East Room in Washington.

U.S. President Barack Obama entered the press conference room with a grim look on his face as he was about to announce a historical gun regulation executive order. After hugging the parents of victims of the shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, he went on with the press meeting but grew visibly emotional when he recalled that day. "First-graders... Newtown..."

Normally an eloquent speaker, Obama`s voice started to shake. Tears welled up in his left eye. “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.” As his speech rose to its climax, with tears rolling down his cheeks, Obama said, “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 wiped tears from his cheeks as he spoke emotionally.

However, shortly after he voiced up, determined. “All of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby’s lies, all of us need to stand up and protect its citizens, all of us need to demand governors and legislators and businesses do their part to make our communities safer." Obama said he will issue an executive order that all sellers need to be licensed by the federal government and pledged to expand background checks to clarify the buyers.

U.S. media including Washington Post said Obama succeeded in stressing the justification of gun control with an emotional speech. However, Republican Party-friendly media including Fox News criticized Obama saying his tears were a calculated showing and hampers rational judgment.

Republican president candidates who have opposed to Obama`s gun control fiercely criticized Obama`s speech saying the executive order is violation of the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Donald Trump, leading Republican candidate, told CNN before the Obama`s speech that he will exercise his veto if he becomes president." Ted Cruz who emerged as one of the top candidates wrote in Twitter that he will fight against Obama`s unconstitutional executive order. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said Obama is immersed in weakening the second amendment.

Hillary Clinton, leading presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, has welcomed Obama`s announcement and thanked him "for taking a crucial step forward on gun violence."

ddr@donga.com