CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Pat Quinn says he stands with President Barack Obama in calling on Congress to enact strong gun control measures.

Quinn says Obama’s actions are “the first step of a comprehensive public safety plan that Congress must act upon.” In a statement Wednesday, Quinn says lawmakers shouldn’t wait another day to pass legislation to help prevent tragedies like last month’s mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut.

The Democratic governor also has called on the Illinois General Assembly to pass an assault weapons ban.

Obama is pressing Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. His measures unveiled Wednesday are the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades.

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