The National Rifle Association issued a statement Tuesday, four days after the school shooting in Connecticut.
The nation's largest gun rights organization said “the group and its members are shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders."
The NRA pledged to help make sure this never happens again. It scheduled a news conference for Friday to give people more time to mourn.
In the meantime, the issue of gun control and support for tighter regulation is raging from the water cooler to the White House.
CBS 21 takes a closer look at whether people believe any new law would have changed what happened.
In the days following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, people across the nation pause to honor those who lost their lives, to reflect on the violence and seek solutions to keep a similar tragedy from happening again.
A recent national poll says fewer than half, 42% of Americans think stricter gun laws would have helped prevent the violence in Connecticut.
People on the street have mixed views on changing the laws. Andre Blakely says he spent four years in the Marine Corps and thinks it is time to toughen up the laws.
“Everybody has the right to bear arms I guess, but I mean, it depends on what type, handguns fine,” Blakely commented.. “Automatic weapons, I don't think the average household needs anything like that.”
If I ban assault weapons today, that isn't going to stop a criminal from getting an assault weapon today, next week, or year after,” countered former military intelligence officer Gerard Valentino. “It's not going to stop a person intent on getting a gun from getting a gun.”
Support for stricter gun control laws is now the highest it has been in a decade.
57% of Americans say laws should be made stricter, 30 percent say they should be kept as they are.
Ohio Governor John Kasich says it is important to review the laws and enforce what is on the books.
“We don't want to erode second amendment rights of law abiding citizens,” Kasich stated.
So for those citizens, what does owning a gun mean? Polls show us political and regional differences.
But it appears lawmakers on both sides are open to discussing the gun laws.
Gun control is the topic of discussion at a national town hall meeting run by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
It's in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
You can watch this meeting on our website live this Thursday night from seven to eight. And if you have a question for the panel of that meeting, send it to news@cbs21.com and put town hall question in the subject line.