The nation’s most influential politicians came under one roof as they listened to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, which covered such topics as education, the war in Afghanistan, and by far the main focus of the night: the topic of gun control.

In his speech, Obama, in front of a joint session of Congress, outlined his hopes for America’s future as well as the policies he wishes to pursue.

To be aware of our government and nation as well as being updated with current events concerning our country because ultimately, it affects us.

The majority of attendees wore either green ribbons in honor of the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., or black and white ribbons for the victims of the Ariz. shooting that almost killed the then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011.

Obama called for stricter laws concerning gun control. He referenced some of the many shootings that have taken place.

Sophomore Raffi Samurkashian said, “Obama focused a lot on gun control [in his address]. I thnk that some of the things he said about it were a little too liberal.”

The attendees who were not members of Congress were mostly people affected by gun violence. Among them were the parents of Hadiya Pendelton, a 15-year-old girl who sang at Obama’s recent inauguration, then died less than a week later in Chicago after being shot.

Obama mentioned Pendelton to emphasize the consequences of gun violence and get his point across that something must be done to end it.

The future of gun control remains uncertain, but it is apparent that the debate on what should be done will not end any time soon.