During our roundtable discussion with Governor Hickenlooper, who I know was in the midst of this passionate debate about the legislation here in Colorado, and some people said, well, background checks aren't going to stop everybody.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on Reducing Gun Violence

And while it may well be that background checks will ultimately do more to stop gun violence than the other two, there is simply no argument in 21st century America for anyone to own an assault weapon or magazine clips that can fire more than 10 bullets in rapid succession.

FORBES: President Obama Strikes The Right Tone On Gun Control

As a consequence of background checks, law enforcement has been able to stop people who have been convicted of murder from getting a gun, people who are under restraining orders for having committed violent domestic abuse from getting a gun.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on Reducing Gun Violence

This columnist, for example, would not oppose "universal background checks, " given sufficient privacy protections, if we were sure that advocates would stop there rather than push for more draconian gun controls.

WSJ: Best of the Web Today: Fascism by the Numbers

"The best way to stop a bad guy from getting a gun in the first place is a good background check, " said Johnson, the chairman of the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence.

CNN: February 1, 2013 -- Updated 0041 GMT (0841 HKT)

At each stop children were getting on and off - they were of every ethnic and religious background, some with scarves or turbans, some talking quietly, others playing and occasionally misbehaving together - completely at ease and trusting one another.

BBC: The full text of the Queen's Christmas broadcast.