President Obama delivered his 2013 State of the Union address on Tuesday, and while the economy and jobs were meant to be the focal point of the night, gun control was the topic that received a standing ovation.
Obama mentioned that it is not the first time the county debated how to control gun violence, but in the wake of countless gun violence deaths, this time it’s different. He proposed for “common sense” reform, such as background checks that make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun:
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.
Nearly four dozen victims of gun violence were in attendance, including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old girl who was killed by a gunshot wound in a park in Chicago two weeks ago — one week after singing at the president’s inauguration.
Many members of the House and Senate wore green ribbons to the State of the Union in recognition of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
“They deserve a vote,” was easily the most memorable quote of Obama’s entire speech as the entire room stood up and applauded at the end of Obama’s speech.