Stop gun violence, kids ask President Obama in handwritten letters

Susan Walsh / AP

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, left, hugs 8-year-old letter writer Grant Fritz during a Wednesday news conference on proposals to reduce gun violence. Obama and Biden were joined by law enforcement officials, lawmakers and children who wrote the president about gun violence following the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., last month.

By Meena Hart Duerson, TODAY

In the wake of the school shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children along with six adults in Newton, Conn. last month, some of the smallest advocates for gun control got out their pencils to seek the president's help.

A series of children's handwritten letters asking President Obama to make changes in gun laws was released by the White House on Wednesday, and their simple messages proved a heartbreaking reminder of the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary.

Courtesy The White House

The letter written by Taejah, 10.

"I started getting a lot of letters from kids," Obama said. "These are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart young people."

Courtesy The White House

Julia, 11, sent this letter to the White House.

"Even though Im not scared for my safty [sic] Im scared for others. I have 4 brothers and sisters and I know I would not be able to bear the thought of losing any of them," wrote Julia Stokes, adding "my opinion is that it should be very hard for people to buy guns...I beg you to try very hard to make guns not allowed."

The letters came out ahead of a press conference by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden introducing new policies on gun control. At the event, Obama addressed Julia Stokes' letter specifically, saying: “Julia, I will try very hard."

The president added: "But she’s right. The most important changes we can make depend on congressional action.”

Another child, Grant, wrote: "Please don't let people own machine guns or other powerful guns like that. We should learn from what happened at Sandy Hook. I feel really bad about what just happened."

Courtesy The White House

Grant, a third grader, sent this letter to President Obama.

Four of the children joined Obama at the press conference on Wednesday as he read portions of their letters aloud.

Obama called for an assault weapons ban and better background checks for gun buyers. "This is our first task as a society: keeping our children safe," he said. "Their voices should compel us to change."

Meanwhile, the NRA released a controversial new ad slamming Obama on guns. The ad spotlighted the president's daughters, asking "Are the president's kids more important than yours?" and calling Obama "an elitist hypocrite."

The White House called the ad "repugnant and cowardly."