President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to work with leaders of all political stripes to "arrive at a consensus" on how to reduce gun violence across the United States after the Colorado shootings highlighted the issue in an election year. Closing out a multiday trip that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the movie theater massacre there, Obama told a mostly African-American audience that such tragedies are replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis. "Every day and a half the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same as the number of people we lost in that movie theater," Obama said in remarks to the National Urban League, a group that works to promote civil rights and economic improvement for African-Americans. "I'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction." Discussing or even touching on the issue of gun control during an election year is risky, and Obama has been careful to avoid making proposals that could offend gun owners and rally his Republican opponents. The president made a point of emphasizing his support for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which covers the right to bear arms. "We recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage," Obama said. "But 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." Obama did not make any new proposals on gun control in his remarks, though he said background checks for people seeking to buy firearms were more thorough since he took office. Republican Mitt Romney, Obama's opponent in the November 6 election, said earlier this week that additional laws would not have stopped the massacre in Colorado. The former governor of Massachusetts has backed gun control measures in the past. POLITICAL APPETITE Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded after a shooter opened fire at a screening of the latest Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora last week. That was not the first major massacre to happen while Obama was in office, nor was it the first event to prompt a discussion about the issue of guns in America. The assassination attempt on then-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011, in which six people were killed and 14 wounded, also sparked a debate over how to reduce violence. Obama noted that the political appetite to tackle the issue was low and that initiatives to address it were often stymied. "Too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere," he said. "Other steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in Congress. This has been true for some time, particularly when it touches on the issue of guns." The president has little political incentive to take on the issue of guns more directly. He is trying to shore up support among white, working-class men in political battleground states such as Virginia, where a robust message on gun control would not be likely to help him politically. His message was well received by the mostly African-American audience in New Orleans, however, and Obama's visit was meant to court that group ahead of the election, too. The National Urban League released a report recently that said although blacks voted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008, if the number of African-American voters drops even 5 percentage points this year, it could tip the outcome in some vital states. Coinciding with his speech, the White House said Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at helping prepare African-Americans better for high school graduation and college. The executive order will create a presidential advisory committee and a federal inter-agency working group to help the initiative succeed, the White House said.

Community members in Anaheim prayed for peace Wednesday night to calm the tensions between police and demonstrators. The protests were sparked by two fatal officer involved shootings that occurred over the weekend.

“We’re praying for peace in the community, peace in the heart of the people that were hurt this weekend,” Angel Rangel told CBS2/KCAL9 reporter Stacey Butler.

Earlier on Wednesday, Genevieve Huizar, pled for an end to the violent protests. Her son, Manuel Diaz, 25 was fatally shot by Anaheim police on Saturday as police say he reached for his waistband and ran.

“We want peaceful justice. We want to honor Manuel by doing things within the law. We want the officers in question to be arrested for the execution of my son Manuel,” Huizar said.

Violence in Anaheim seemed to subside Wednesday night, but police remained on a city-wide tactical alert and kept a close eye throughout the night.

On Tuesday night, protesters clashed with police and lit fires, smashed windows, kicked police cars, and threw rocks and bottles at officers in riot gear. About 250 law enforcement officers were called in to quell more than 600 protesters who had gathered along Anaheim Blvd. Law enforcement officers shot pepper balls and bean bags at the unruly crowds. Approximately 24 demonstrators were arrested by the end of the Tuesday night’s protest.

Meanwhile, City Council members unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night calling for a federal investigation into the two deadly shootings.

On Saturday, Diaz, whom police have identified as a documented gang member from Santa Ana, was approached by officers around 4 p.m. on the 600 block of North Anna Drive. Police said Diaz and his two companions ran off, but an officer caught up to Diaz and shot him when he reportedly threw an unidentified object. However, no weapons were found at the scene and Diaz died at a hospital several hours later.

On Sunday, Anaheim police fatally shot Joel Mathew Acevedo at the end of a stolen-car pursuit. Acevedo, 21, who is also described as a gang member by police, allegedly fired at officers before being fatally shot.

A $50 million legal claim and accompanying suit was filed against the city Tuesday by Diaz’s family. They allege he was first shot in the back, then in the head when he fell to his knees.