President Barack Obama spoke with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Tuesday afternoon about gun control, the senator whose pro-gun position has changed since the shooting spree at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

Manchin said in a statement that he and Obama “agree as Americans and parents, all of our children belong to all of us - and we must work together to keep our precious children safe.”

Twenty-six people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, including 20 children. Law enforcement officials said gunman Adam Lanza used a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle to kill most of the victims.

“I believe that we must have a dialogue and bring parties from all sides to the table,” the senator said. “I know my friends at the NRA and those who support our Second Amendment rights will participate because I know that their hearts are aching for the families in Newtown, just like all Americans.”

The National Rifle Association released a statement Tuesday, CNN reported, saying it was “shocked, saddened and heartbroken” by news of the elementary school shooting in Connecticut and that it is “prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”

Obama met with Vice President Joe Biden and cabinet members to discuss an appropriate path of action to prevent mass shootings, White House press secretary Jay Carney told The Wall Street Journal.

“It’s clear that we can’t once again retreat to our separate corners and to our stale talking points because that inevitably leads to an impasse,” Carney said.

The White House said Obama would seek stricter gun-control measures in the coming weeks, the Journal reported. Obama is considering calling for limits on high-capacity magazines and would support efforts to prevent gun purchases through unlicensed dealers without a background check, Carney told the Journal.

From ABC News:

Law enforcement officials said that Adam Lanza was armed with four firearms when he started his rampage at a Connecticut elementary school Friday that ended in the deaths of 20 children and seven adults, but nearly all the killing was done with just one of the guns: a .223 caliber Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle.

Carney also said Obama “actively” supports Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) proposal to ban assault weapons. 

 

Read more of Neon Tommy’s coverage on the Newtown shooting here.

Reach Executive Producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.