President Barack Obama declared on a campaign-style trip to promote gun control that a consensus is emerging for universal background checks for buyers, though he conceded a tough road lay ahead to pass an assault weapons ban over formidable opposition in Congress.

The president unveiled his gun-control plans last month after the shootings at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school. But many of the proposals face tough opposition from some in Congress and from the National Rifle Association.

"We should restore the ban on military-style assault weapons and a 10-round limit for magazines," Obama said in a brief speech yesterday, standing firm on his full package on gun-control measures despite long odds. Such a ban "deserves a vote in Congress because weapons of war have no place on our streets or in our schools or threatening our law enforcement officers."