“Even as I continue to take every action possible as president, I will also take every action I can as a citizen,” he said in an op-ed for The New York Times. “I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform. And if the 90% of Americans who do support common-sense gun reforms join me, we will elect the leadership we deserve.”

Obama explained his position in a televised forum on guns Thursday night.

“I meant what I said,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, saying the National Rifle Association has a “stranglehold on Congress in this debate.”

“The majority of people in this country are a lot more sensible than what you see in Washington. And the reason that Washington doesn’t work well in part is because the loudest, shrillest voices, the least compromising, the most powerful, or those with the most money have the most influence,” Obama said. “And, you know, I’m going to throw my shoulders behind folks who want to actually solve problems instead of just, you know, getting a high score from an interest group.”