Obama unveils plan to cut gun violence with tears in his eyes

With tears in his eyes, US president vows the powerful gun lobby will not 'hold America hostage'.In the face of Congressional opposition, Obama formally unveiled a handful of executive measures that will make it harder to buy and sell weapons, but which he admitted would not stop the scourge of mass shootings.

The much-debated second amendment of the constitution guarantees the right of citizens to own firearms, which have killed more than 100,000 Americans over the past 10 years.
"This is not a plot to take away everybody's guns," Obama said. "You pass a background check, you purchase a firearm. The problem is some gun sellers have been operating under a different set of rules." 
"We do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. In Dr. King's words, we need to feel the fierce urgency of now, because people are dying," he said. "And the constant excuses for inaction no longer do."
"Yes, it will be hard. And it won't happen overnight. It won't happen during this Congress. It won't happen during my presidency," he said.
"But a lot of things don't happen overnight. A woman's right to vote didn't happen overnight. The liberation of African-Americans didn't happen overnight. LGBT rights, that was decades worth of work."
Gunmaker Smith and Wesson on Monday hiked its earnings estimates for the year, citing data which point to increased sales.
Public opinion polls show Americans overwhelmingly support expanding background checks for gun purchases, but are more divided on the broader question of stricter gun laws.
About one-third of Americans live in a household where at least one person owns a gun.
Particularly in rural areas where firearms are a way of life, many citizens do not believe gun laws should be made stricter.
The reverse is true in urban areas, where majorities want tighter firearm regulations.