But Sunday’s remarks, and the promise of action, were something of a departure from that pattern.

The pressure was rapidly mounting on Obama to call for a specific action on gun control. Obama is a supporter of renewing a ban on the sale of assault weapons, which expired in 2004, but has not tried to move legislation through Congress. 

The president, a father of two, has clearly been affected by the shooting. In his first remarks on the shootings, made Friday at the White House, the typically reserved and composed president tried and failed to hold back tears as he read a brief statement.

On Sunday, the president sat in the front row, hands folded under his chin, as he listened to prayers from local religious leaders. 

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, introducing Obama, said he had spoken with the president moments earlier. Obama told him Friday was the darkest day of his presidency. 

Obama’s remarks reflected a personal note. When a parent sends a child out to the world, he realizes he cannot always protect her alone, he said. 

“In that way, we come to realize that we bear responsibility for every child. That we’re all parents, that they’re all our children. This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right we don’t get anything right,” Obama said. “That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.”

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