Tearful Obama springs gun control surprise. Twitter fires up support

It was a historic and unprecedentedly emotional moment when US president Barack Obama couldn’t contain his tears as he announced his “executive decision” to tighten control and regulation of firearms in the United States. Using his presidential powers to enforce a legislation that he had repeatedly asked the Congress to pass, President Obama made a passionate speech from the East Room of the White House to reduce gun violence on the morning (EST) of January 5, 2016.

"The constant excuses for inaction no longer do." —President Obama #StopGunViolence https://t.co/JfNhMyE0r4

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 5, 2016

President Obama tears up thinking about Sandy Hook, "every time I think about those kids..." https://t.co/bwmcKcQ4Ke https://t.co/nZMMaW7dux

— CNN (@CNN) January 5, 2016

"Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost brothers and sisters or buried their own children." https://t.co/f7n8h7EVO0

— POLITICO (@politico) January 6, 2016

What President Obama's plan for stricter gun control will involve https://t.co/tzDODya2WV pic.twitter.com/MMdYxjrhLi

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 5, 2016

He was flanked by vice-president Joe Biden and other prominent faces of his team as he took on the Congress, accusing it of toeing the line espoused by the powerful National Rifle Association, or the “gun lobby”. Obama said, “they cannot hold America hostage”, as he enumerated the mass shooting incidents one “too many” caused by unrestricted access to fire arms.

Read the full transcript of Obama’s speech here.

.@POTUS just took action to #StopGunViolence. Here's how we build on that progress: https://t.co/DM8IlTNvgd pic.twitter.com/2SxTkpPMVd

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 5, 2016

.@POTUS is right: We can protect the Second Amendment while protecting our families and communities from gun violence. And we have to.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 5, 2016

33 Americans are murdered w/ a gun every day. And Congress has done nothing. Today’s responsible actions by @POTUS will save lives.

— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) January 5, 2016

Thank you @POTUS for taking these steps to make us ALL safer. #StopGunViolence pic.twitter.com/6xtrTf6821

— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) January 5, 2016

Let's go. We can #StopGunViolence https://t.co/aZGiAuW2Vr

— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) January 5, 2016

President Obama's common-sense actions will help #StopGunViolence. Now Congress needs to step up. pic.twitter.com/DPkaaIp4p7

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 5, 2016

Obama remembered massacres in Sandy Hook, New Town, San Bernardino, Connecticut, Virginia, among others, underlining the importance of regulation access to guns by enforcing strict background checks. 

"Fort Hood Binghamton Aurora Oak Creek Newtown The Navy Yard Santa Barbara Charleston San Bernardino Too many." —@POTUS #StopGunViolence

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 5, 2016

Support poured in from various quarters, including fellow Democrat and now presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Notably, the New York Times had carried a front-page editorial on the need to reform America’s gun laws after the recent San Bernardino shootings. 

Barack Obama begins crying during WhiteHouse talk referring to the 20 slaughtered 1st graders in Newtown. The tears started & wouldn't stop.

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 5, 2016

O said that we Americans aren't more violent than others. But we r. We start wars.We drone bomb civilians.We had 330+ mass shootings in 2015

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 5, 2016

Some think that Obama's tears about gun violence show weakness. Nope. We should all be crying about 32,000 American gun deaths a year.

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 5, 2016

However, usual suspects, including the Republicans and the mammoth gun lobby, aired rude misapprehensions, equating Obama’s weeping to “weakness”. Sarcasm at the crybaby president did the rounds in the conservative circuits of America, with Fox News leading the attack.      

Gun sales soar after Obama calls for new restrictions https://t.co/UEOzup9aV0 pic.twitter.com/HCK6DYLEdg

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) January 5, 2016

Saying that this was arbitrary and “unconstitutional” as it conflicted with USA’s controversial “Second Amendment” which guarantees the right to self-defence, the conservatives accused the president of unfair populism and branded his announcement as a “political theatre of absurd”.

My response to Obama's gun control executive order: https://t.co/YPHRlzyQfy

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 5, 2016

RT @LawSelfDefense "Obama’s Gun Control 'Executive Order' is Political Theater of the Absurd." #PepRally https://t.co/LzY6hqYwf7

— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) January 6, 2016

Not going to make fun of Obama because I shed a few tears when Newtown happened but his executive order won't fix anything. #StopGunViolence

— Julie Borowski (@JulieBorowski) January 6, 2016

DICTATOR: Obama is doing what he ALWAYS does when he doesn’t get his way, which is defy the will of the people and issue an executive order.

— slone (@slone) January 5, 2016

That awkward moment during EVERY Obama speech EVER ... #2A #guncontrol #ImpeachObama pic.twitter.com/PsDOm9Q57Z

— Shannon Knutsen (@STKnutsen) January 6, 2016