Overall, I liked the President's speech. However, I was disappointed in the section of the speech that discussed reducing gun violence. Here is what the President said:
Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say “we are not afraid,” and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
After the numerous instances of gun violence in public places over the last few years (such as Sandy Hook and this past weekend in Columbia Mall), I would like to have heard the President make specific concrete proposals to curb gun violence, such as an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks. Now I recognize that these types of proposals have no chance of passing the Republican House of Representatives, but it would have been nice to hear that the President supports these types of proposals.
The impression I got from his speech, which contains generalities only, is that he has given up the fight on this issue.