Obama, Wiping Away Tears, Addresses School Shootings

President Obama, wiping away tears, said “our hearts are broken today” in response to the Connecticut school shootings, noting that “as a country we’ve been through this too many times.”

“I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the overhwelming grief that I do,” Obama said, delivering a statement from the White House briefing room. He paused at times, choking up, as he recalled the lives of the children who were lost.

Although he did not take the moment to directly address gun laws, as many have called for on social media and petition campaigns, but he did open the door for “meaningful action.”

“We are going to have to come together to take meaningful action ... regardless of the politics,” Obama said.

He ordered flags flown at half mast at the White House and other government buildings.

His full remarks below: