President Barack Obama's Speech at Memorial Service at Newtown, CT

This excerpt from the President's speech which he wrote is asking the tough questions all of us have to be thinking.  If you are honest with yourself, you will agree that we are not doing enough to protect all our children across America.  Time our voices stopped being silent and became involved in taking our Country back to where you feel safe to go to church, send your kids to school, and walk in a mall.  Each of us has a part in making America safer.

Time we all start by contacting our elected representatives in Congress and State Government to tell them to support reasonable gun control.  It is way past time to act so TODAY is the beginning of a turn-around in the gun culture of America IMHO.  The video of the full speech is below these comments from the President that are an excerpt of the transcript of his speech:

"And in that way we come to realize that we bear responsibility for every child, because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours, that we’re all parents, that they are all our children. 

This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.

And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we’re meeting our obligations?

Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm?  

Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return? 

Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? 

I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change. Since I’ve been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings, fourth time we’ve hugged survivors, the fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. 

And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and in big cities all across America, victims whose -- much of the time their only fault was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.
We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this."

When I watched this speech last night, I saw a President who was not only a President but a Father who did  not shy away from tackling the hard road ahead to get some common sense gun restrictions that most Americans agree need to happen.  The President took on the gun lobby and those in Congress who refuse to vote for any gun restriction legislation.  The task ahead is huge but I believe in my heart this President is up to that task and it is up to all of us to support him on sensible gun legislation.  The President spoke from his heart last night in this speech and has garnered respect of so many Americans:



Read the following and ask yourself why the Assault Weapons ban was allowed to expire and has not been reinstated:

What Law Enforcement Says About Assault Weapons  

Following several high-profile mass shootings and attacks on law enforcement involving military-style assault weapons, Congress enacted the federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994. The ban expired on September 13, 2004 without any consideration or action by Congress, despite the pleas of law enforcement officials across the country. Today, our nation's police find themselves increasingly outgunned by criminals armed with sophisticated firearms and detachable, high-capacity ammuniton magazines (the manufacture of magazines holding more than 10 rounds was prohibited under the federal ban). The following timeline examines law enforcement's experience with assault weapons since the federal ban lapsed:
March 2, 2011—"There is no reason that a peaceful society based on the rule of law needs its citizenry armed with 30-round [ammunition] magazines," states Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck during a news conference." Such magazines transform a gun "into a weapon of mass death rather than a home protection-type device," Beck notes.
February 26, 2011—Referring to increasing seizures of semiautomatic assault weapons that are trafficked in from outside states,  Brockton (Massachusetts) Police Department Captain Emanuel Gomes says, "We're literally outgunned. You're talking about the kind of firepower that can go through vehicles, through vests, and that can literally go through a house."
January 16, 2011—After one of his officers is ambushed by a teenager wielding a semiautomatic AR-15 and fired at 26 times, Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty tells The Oklahoman, "There are just more and more assault rifles out there, and it is becoming a bigger threat to law enforcement each day. They are outgunned."  Citty states that he sees "no practical reason" why a civilian would need an AR-15 or similiar military-style weapon.
Read More of the Timeline at CSGV.org

Have our members of Congress and State Legislatures not been listening to law enforcement since the Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004?  Yet, they listen to the gun lobby who helps fund their campaigns or horror of horrors, they get someone to run against them who is more pro-gun.  Absolutely despicable and time to vote them out in 2014 since they put gun ownership of high powered weapons and large clips over the safety of the American people all for their selfish interest.
We mourn with the parents, siblings, children who lost family members in this tragedy and pledge to get behind the elected officials who are set on making America safer.  We heard the President's call last night and time for all of us to act as One Nation Under God to right this ship called America.  We owe it to our children, grandchildren, and future generations to make America a safer Country.
God Bless President Obama and the United States of America as we begin the long road to return common sense policy to our Nation.  
God be with the families and friends who lost so much when a madman shot and killed 26 innocent teachers and young students at Sandy Hook.  Nothing can fill the void they are experiencing, but they need to know that they are in the hearts and prayers of all Americans.  We can honor their memory by passing reasonable gun legislation and start listening to law enforcement.