U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday delivered
an emotional statement about an elementary school shooting that left
more than two dozen dead, vowing to take "meaningful action" to
prevent such tragedies from happening again.
"These neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are
our children, and we're going to have to come together and take
meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of
the politics," he said. He stopped short, however, of detailing what
action it might take on US gun laws or other measures.
Obama said he reacted to the news, "not as a president but as a
parent," as he paused to compose himself and recalled "beautiful
little kids between the ages of 5 and 10."
"They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays graduations,
weddings, kids of there own," he said from the White House briefing
room.
