Obama says US must act on gun violence, defends new gun control rules

US President Barack Obama wipes away a tear while announcing steps the administration is taking to curb gun violence in the East Room of the White House on Jan 5. [Photo/Agencies]

President Barack Obama made an emotional plea on Tuesday in defense of his administration's plan to increase background checks for buyers of firearms over the Internet and at gun shows, saying current exceptions do not make sense.

At one point, Obama cried during his remarks and wiped away tears, surrounded by gun-control advocates and family members of victims of gun violence.

"We've created a system in which dangerous people are allowed to play by a different set of rules," Obama said in address in the White House East Room.

Obama said the new guidance is "not a plot to take away everyone's guns."

"I believe we can find ways to reduce gun violence in ways consistent with the Second Amendment," he said, referring to the constitutional right to bear arms. At one point, Obama cried during his remarks, surrounded by gun-control advocates and family members of victims of gun violence.