Obama to hit road to push gun violence plan

WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States (US) President Barack Obama will hit the road on Monday to appear with local leaders and law enforcement officials in Minnesota to push his plan to cut gun violence, which faces a tough road in Congress.

Mr Obama will visit Minneapolis, a city that has taken steps to tackle firearms violence, including a background check system similar to one the president is proposing for the entire country.

The President has taken 23 executive actions and challenged Congress to pass new laws, including renewing a ban on assault weapons and closing loopholes that permit 40 per cent of gun sales to take place without background checks.

Mr Obama made the measures to stem murderous firearms violence a centerpiece of his second term agenda, after America was traumatised by the massacre of 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in December.