Obama urges Congress to pass safer gun control measures

In a speech to supporters in Colorado, US President Barack Obama late Wednesday pushed lawmakers to pass comprehensive gun legislation aimed at keeping communities safer. The president urged citizens to "get the facts" on proposed gun bills in Congress that include a measure that would expand background checks. "We're not proposing a gun registration system. We're proposing background checks for criminals," Obama said at the Denver Police Academy. The president said background checks have "already prevented more than 2 million people from getting guns," and encouraged Americans to contact their elected representatives and to press those who oppose the bills for an explanation. "Find out where your member of Congress stands," Obama urged. "If they're not part of the 90 percent who support universal background checks, ask them, why not? Why wouldn't you want to make it more difficult for a dangerous criminal to get his or her hands on a gun?" Obama also jabbed at the powerful gun lobby, led by the National Rifle Association, which he said misleads the public. "Nobody's talking about creating a new system -- we're talking about plugging holes, sealing a porous system," he said. The current system, which only requires background checks from federally licensed gun sellers, "is not safe, it's not smart, and it's not fair to responsible gun sellers who play by the rules. Obama argued that there is "no conflict between protecting our citizens and protecting our Second Amendment rights." He said he has received "stacks of letters from proud gun owners, whether they're for sport, or protection, or collection, who tell me how deeply they cherish their rights, and don't want them infringed upon -- but they still want us to do something to stop the epidemic of gun violence."