Yesterday, President Barack Obama proposed a new plan to protect children and communities from mass shootings, such as those that occurred last year in Newton, Oak Creek, Aurora and Tucson.

The plan includes closing background check loopholes and banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, in addition to increasing access to mental health services and more security at schools. This plan could be the biggest push for gun control in decades.

Throughout the past few months, Obama has received a lot of backlash from the National Rifle Association, which has approximately 4 million members, accusing him of being “just another elitist hypocrite” for not supporting armed guards in schools.

“More than 900 of our fellow Americans have reportedly died at the end of a gun, 900 in the past month,” Obama said during a speech in the South Court Auditorium. “Every day we wait, that number will keep growing.”

Obama said statistics show 40 percent of all gun purchases are conducted without a background check. One of his immediate plans is to urge Congress to require universal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun; more than 70 percent of the NRA’s members and a majority of Americans agree, according to a White House press release.

“When it comes to protecting the most vulnerable among us, we must act now,” Obama said. “For the 25 other innocent children and devoted educators who had so much left to give. Let’s do the right thing.”