Leading up to President Barack Obama's second inauguration, strong emotions are emanating from both sides of the aisle on a range of subjects in today's highly charged political environment of Washington.

There are raging battles over the national debt ceiling, taxes, spending cuts and immigration overhaul — no shortage of hot-button issues awaiting Obama and a deeply divided Congress.

The president has now formally added to the list gun control, which wasn't even a major part of his second-term agenda until last month's deadly shooting rampage at an elementary school in Connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.