WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of the school shootings in Connecticut must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the nation deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness.
Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said it was time to take a deeper look into the recent spate of mass shootings and what can be done to prevent them. Gun control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban on assault weapons. But since that ban expired in 2004, few Americans have wanted stricter laws and politicians say they don't want to become targets of a powerful gun-rights lobby.
Gun-rights advocates said that might all change after the latest shooting that killed 20 children aged 6 or 7. Police say the gunman, Adam Lanza, was carrying an arsenal of ammunition and used a high-powered rifle similar to the military's M-16.
At a Sunday night service in Newtown, Conn., the site of Friday's massacre, President Barack Obama did not specifically address gun control. But he vowed, "In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this."
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Teddy bears, each representing a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, sit on a wall at a sidewalk memorial, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children. AP / David Goldman
President Barack Obama walks off stage after delivering a speech at an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn. AP / Evan Vucci
A man reacts at the site of a makeshift memorial for school shooting victims in Newtown, Conn., Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. AP / Charles Krupa
Mourners grieve at one of the makeshift memorials for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / Mary Altaffer
David Freedman, right, kneels with his son Zachary, 9, both of Newtown, Conn., as they visit a sidewalk memorial for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / David Goldman
A woman pays respects at a memorial outside of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / Julio Cortez
A mother and son spend time at a memorial left at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Sunday, December 16, 2012. Los Angeles Times / Genaro Molina
People pay respects by a makeshift memorial outside of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church between Mass services, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / Julio Cortez
A woman reacts while paying respects for shooting victims at a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / Julio Cortez
Residents greet each other before an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn. AP / Evan Vucci
Women react while waiting in a vehicle to drive away from St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church as officials respond to a bomb threat, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. Worshippers hurriedly left the church Sunday, not far from where a gunman opened fire Friday inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. AP / Julio Cortez
From left, Jean Bradley, Steven Turchetta, 9, Jean's son Matthew Bradley, 9, Ashton Baltes, 10, and his mother Elonda Baltes pay their respects at a memorial for shooting victims near Sandy Hook Elementary School, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. AP / Jason DeCrow
Molly Delaney, left, holds her 11-year-old daughter, Milly Delaney, during a service in honor of the victims who died a day earlier when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., as people gathered at St. John's Episcopal Church , Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Conn. AP / Julio Cortez
Mourners gather for a candlelight vigil at Ram's Pasture to remember shooting victims, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. AP / Jason DeCrow
Candles are lit at a memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday, December 15, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, a day after a shooting rampage at the school. MCT / Olivier Douliery
Ted Kowalczuk, of Milford, Conn., and his friend Rachel Schiavone, of Norwalk, Conn., attend a candlelight vigil held behind Stratford High School on the Town Hall Green in Stratford, Conn. on Saturday December 15, 2012. Kowalczuk and Schiavone were close friends to Stratford High graduate Vicki Soto, who was killed in Friday's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Soto was a teacher at the school. The Connecticut Post / Christian Abraham
A message is seen on a candle outside the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / David Goldman
Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, fights back tears as he speaks during a news conference, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / David Goldman
A U.S. flag flies at half-staff on Main Street in honor of the people killed when a gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / David Goldman
Elizabeth Bogdanoff, left, kisses her daughter Julia, 13, both of Newtown, Conn., during a prayer service at St John's Episcopal Church in Newtown, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. AP / David Goldman
Shop owner Tamara Doherty paces outside her store just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary School, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. AP / David Goldman
Gary Seri, general manager at the Stone River Grille, hangs a message written on a table cloth in honor of the teachers who died along with students a day earlier when a gunman open fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Conn. Seri, who put up red balloons that were not used when a sweet 16 party was canceled the night before in light of the massacre, said the teachers were scheduled to have their holiday party at his restaurant. AP / Julio Cortez
Mourners gather at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Conn. Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Andrew Gombert
A woman comforts a young girl during a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Conn. AP / Andrew Gombert
A woman prays during a service at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Conn., on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. Hartford Courant / Michael McAndrews
Mourners gather for a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Conn. Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Andrew Gombert
People embrace at a firehouse staging area for family members near the scene of a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Jessica Hill
Officials confer at the scene outside of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Julio Cortez
Heavily armed Connecticut State troopers are on the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. The Journal News / Frank Becerra Jr.
A woman speaks with a Connecticut State Police officer near Sandy Hook Elementary School, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. The Hour / Alex von Kleydorff
A police officer leads two women and a child from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. Newtown Bee / Shannon Hicks
Parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Jessica Hill
Victims family members leave a firehouse staging area following a shooting at the Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. AP / Jessica Hill
Jillian Soto uses a phone to get information about her sister, Victoria Soto, a teacher at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 after a gunman killed over two dozen people, including 20 children. Victoria Soto, 27, was among those killed. AP / Jessica Hill
Connecticut State Police personnel lead a line of children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 after a shooting at the school. Newtown Bee / Shannon Hicks
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