400,000 petition Obama on guns

US President Barack Obama has said he will take action to stop gun violence, after more than 400,000 people have signed an online petition calling for serious action on gun laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Source: AFP

US President Barack Obama has vowed to take action to stop gun violence in response to online petitions signed by more than 400,000 people after last week's primary school massacre.

"In the days since the heartbreaking tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, hundreds of thousands of you, from all 50 states, signed petitions asking us to take serious steps to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country," Mr Obama said in an online video on Friday. "We hear you."

Mr Obama joined a nationwide moment of silence to mark the passing of one week since the Newtown school massacre overnight.

Mr Obama took part in the unofficial national day of mourning at the White House and First Lady Michelle Obama sent an open letter of support for the survivors.

Mr Obama has called on Congress to pass legislation banning military-style assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition clips. It would would also close loopholes that allow people to purchase guns without background checks. He has also appointed US Vice President Joe Biden to head a task force to explore ways to prevent mass shootings, including by improving access to mental health care, and addressing depictions of violence in popular culture.

"I will do everything in my power as president to advance these efforts, because if there's even one thing we can do as a country to protect our children, we have a responsibility to try," Mr Obama said in the video. "But as I said earlier this week I can't do it alone. I need your help."

A portrait of Sandy Hook victim Benjamin Andrew Wheeler, 6, stands outside of Trinity Episcopal Church as mourners embrace before his funeral service overnight in Newtown.

Mr Obama called on ordinary citizens, law enforcement officials and gun owners to campaign publicly and petition Congress in support of his reforms.

More than 400,000 people have signed "We the People" petitions on the White House's website calling for action on gun violence, making it one of the most popular issues since the launch of the site, a White House official said.

One such petition set the record for being the fastest ever to reach 25,000 signatures, the official said.

Last Friday's massacre of 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School - the latest in a series of mass shootings over the past two years - has galvanised support for reforms aimed at stemming gun violence.

Students Zoe Bell, 12, left, and her sister, Sophie 9, join Los Angeles area religious leaders and citizens in a prayer vigil against to gun violence outside Los Angeles City Hall, as Americans reexamine their views on gun ownership after the Sandy Hook shooting.

Connecticut State Governor Dannel Malloy first called on residents to stop and reflect in silence at 9.30am (1.30am AEDT) local time, the minute 20-year-old Adam Lanza burst into the Sandy Hook Elementary School and began slaughtering 20 six- and seven-year-old children and six staff on December 14.

"Let us all come together collectively to mourn the loss of far too many promising lives," Mr Malloy said.

"Though we will never know the full measure of sorrow experienced by these families, we can let them know that we stand with them during this difficult time."

Mr Malloy asked for churches and government buildings to ring bells 26 times, symbolizing each of the victims in the school.
In Newton, bell rang as people on the street stood in a cold, driving rain.
His appeal was quickly matched by state governors from Hawaii to Florida, who called on residents to observe their own moment of silence at 9.30am local time in solidarity.
Houses of worship around the country also embraced the week's anniversary.

Robbie Parker, the father of victim Emilie Parker holds his head in his hands after making remarks at a memorial service for the 6-year-old a at Utah high school.

The National Council of Churches said that thousands of churches would "observe a minute of silence and at 9.30am Friday sound their bells 26 times in memory of the victims who died in the school."

On the crowd-sourced charity site, causes.com, almost 177,000 people had signed up by early Friday to pledge a moment's silence.

Mrs Obama wrote to the people of Newtown that "as a mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families."

However, "the countless acts of courage, kindness and love here in Newtown and across America" had inspired her to believe the country had shown its good side in the aftermath of the massacre, she said.
 

Mourners embrace at a memorial for massacre victims. Six funeral services were held on Thursday for students and teachers in the Newtown area.

A man pays his respects at a memorial to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. A moment of silence was held across the US in memory of the horrific school shooting.

Mourners attend a service for Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher Lauren Rousseau, who was killed in last week's school shooting in Newtown.

Soft toys and candles adorn a roadside memorial in Newtown, Connecticut, as the US marks one week since the massacre.

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