Watch video of US President crying over children killed in mass shooting

President Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, wept openly while giving an address on gun control at the White House.

"Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said, with tears rolling down his cheek.

"That changed me, that day," he said, after being introduced by Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son was killed in the shooting. "My hope earnestly has been that it would change the country."

After that tragedy, the Democratic president failed to persuade Congress to toughen U.S. gun laws. He has blamed lawmakers for being in the thrall of the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby group.

He said Americans need to be "just as passionate" as the NRA in changing gun laws, but acknowledged it won't happen during his final year in office.

Obama laid out executive action he is taking to require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks.

Any changes to gun rules in America are fraught with political risk. The U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment gives Americans the right to have arms, a right that is fiercely defended.

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Watch video of Obama crying below: