Obama to visit Newtown, meet with school shooting victims' families

President Barack Obama will travel to Newtown, Conn., on Sunday to meet with families of the victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and to thank first responders, the White House announced on Saturday night.

The president will also speak at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims as well as other families from Sandy Hook Elementary. 

In his weekly radio and Internet address earlier on Saturday, Obama said it was time to "take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this.''   

But he stopped short of specifically calling for tighter gun-control laws.

On Friday, an emotional Obama paused to wipe away a tear as he spoke from the White House about the tragedy hours after it unfolded.

"The majority of those who died today were children -- beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old," he said. "They had their entire lives ahead of them -- birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own."

He added: "Our hearts are broken today, for the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, as well as the families of the adults who were lost."

A gunman authorities identified as Adam Lanza, 20, shot to death 20 children and six adults at the school. He earlier killed his mother at her home, officials have said.

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