President's Gun Plan Unveiled

(WFRV) After weeks of meetings with those injured by gun violence and those who support the right to bear arms, President Obama announced several proposed laws to curb gun violence in America. It's a sweeping package,  which the president says  addresses gun violence.  But while polls show most favor stricter gun laws,  others say this is simply a knee-jerk reaction.

After the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT that took 26 lives, President Obama said it was time to address gun violence. This morning in Washington, DC  he presented his plan. "This is our first task as a society  - keeping our children safe - this is how we will be judged," President Obama said.

The president is calling for a ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines with more than ten rounds. He also wants universal criminal background and mental health checks  for anyone buying a gun. "I'm calling on Congress to pass some very specific proposals right away," said the president.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin, supports the plan saying tragedies like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary last month demand action. "Almost 40 percent of gun sales in our state happen without background checks and I don't think that's acceptable," Baldwin said.

During a stop in Ashwaubenon, Gov. Scott Walker said any legislation aimed at preventing mass shootings needs to be focused on a person's mental health status. "That goes to the heart of the evil that is inherent in the person, not in what the tool they are using to commit it by," Walker said.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, from Oshkosh, issued a statement saying  while he's open to common sense ideas he ''will not support actions or legislation that I believe infringes our constitutional rights."

The president is expected to order funding for schools that want to hire armed security guards. The NRA is pushing the idea of armed guards in every school, releasing a web-ad that suggest the president is a hypocrite for using the Secret Service to protect his daughters.

"Are the presidents kids more important that yours? Then why is he skeptical about armed guards in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards in their schools," the ad claims.

The president needs approval from Congress for new restrictions on gun sales. But he's using Executive Orders to move forward with 23 other recommendations,  such as research on gun violence and improved efforts to prosecute gun crimes.