REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON - Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of last week's elementary school shooting must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the nation deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness. 

Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday that it was time to take a deeper look into the recent spate of mass shootings and what can be done to prevent them in the future. 

Gun control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban on assault weapons. But since that ban expired in 2004, few Americans have wanted stricter laws and politicians say they don't want to become targets of a powerful gun-rights lobby. Gun-rights advocates said that might all change after the latest shooting that killed 20 children aged 6 or 7. 

Speaking Sunday night at a vigil in Newtown, Conn., the site of Friday's massacre, President Barack Obama did not specifically address gun control. But he vowed, "In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this."