Barack Obama addressed the National Urban League convention Wednesday.

Barack Obama addressed the National Urban League convention Wednesday. Susan Walsh/AP

Obama: Gun laws should be 'common sense'

Firearms regulations 'shouldn't be controversial,' president says in New Orleans.

Four days after the deadly theater shooting in Colorado, President Obama called for “common sense” when it comes to gun laws Wednesday, reports the Washington Post.

Speaking before the National Urban League’s annual conference in New Orleans, Obama called for toughening standards on background checks in an effort to prevent the mentally unstable and criminals from getting their hands on guns.

While saying he believes in the Second Amendment right to bear arms, he said that such regulations “shouldn't be controversial. They should be common sense."

He added: “I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers not in the hands of criminals, that they belong on the battlefield of war not on the streets of our cities,” according to The Hill.