WASHINGTON (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday used an Op-Ed article to call for more gun control, saying the country has a responsibility to do everything it can to put a stop to gun violence.

The article was published in the Arizona Daily Star, which covers the Southwestern state where U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was critically wounded by a gunman more than two months ago. Six others lost their lives in that attack, and 12 more were injured.
Obama said although he “believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms,” and his administration has not curtailed the rights of gun owners, the country must face “the awful reality that gun violence affects Americans everywhere, whether on the streets of Chicago or at a supermarket in Tucson.”
“Our focus right now should be on sound and effective steps that will actually keep those irresponsible, law-breaking few from getting their hands on a gun in the first place,” wrote Obama. He calls for more strict enforcement of National Instant Criminal Background Check System that serves as a filter to “stop the wrong people from getting their hands on a gun.”