Choking back tears, the president expresses his grief and avoids specific policy suggestions.

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An emotional President Obama on Friday called for unspecified "meaningful action" regardless of political consequences, after a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, reportedly killed 27 people, including 18 children.

"We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics," Obama said during a brief address from the White House, where he repeatedly wiped away tears.

"We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. Each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would, as a parent. And that is especially true today," said Obama, the father of two daughters.

Earlier, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that Friday was not the appropriate time to discuss gun control policy.