President Obama rolled out his plan for curbing gun violence on Wednesday in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings that killed 20 first graders and six adults last month. Obama made the announcement flanked by schoolchildren he said wrote him about their concerns following the Newtown shootings.

The plan, which calls for Congress to approve a ban on assault weapons and require background checks for all gun buyers, is being called the most extensive gun-control push in decades.

It sets the stage for a battle with the powerful National Rifle Association, which released a preemptive ad before Obama spoke to the nation, accusing him of hypocrisy for having armed Secret Service officers on duty at his daughters’ school. The White House slammed the ad, calling it “repugnant.”