Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jon Runyan (R-NJ), issued the following statement regarding President Barack Obama’s press conference on his gun violence and safety agenda.

“After the Newtown tragedy, we need to have a serious discussion about gun safety, mental health and violence in our society. While I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I also recognize the need to keep our schools and communities as safe as possible. During the course of this discussion I will give consideration to any good faith proposal that makes our communities safer. I also pledge to work with all my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, in Washington and New Jersey to ensure families in New Jersey and across this country are safe from gun violence. What this discussion does not need is what we saw today from the NRA. Their ad referencing President Obama’s children was at the very least inappropriate and diverts the discussion away from the important issues.”