By Dee DeQuattro, WPRO News

Congressman Cicilline said now is not the time for a conversation on gun safety; it is the time for action.

Cicilline told the WPRO Morning News with Tara Granahan And Andrew Gobeil that the conversation about stricter gun laws has been going on for years but after a tragedy like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School it’s time for lawmaker to take action.

“I think congress also has a responsibility to move and move quickly,” said Cicilline. “We know what we need to do we need to keep the guns out of the hands of people that shouldn’t have them.” Cicilline said that laws need to be set in place to require criminal background checks for people purchasing firearms, to ensure mentally ill people don’t possess guns and to keep guns out of the hands of kids.

Cicilline said currently 40% of gun sales nationwide take place without a criminal background check. He also noted that "5 to 14-year-old children in America are 13 times more likely to be murdered with guns than children in other industrialized countries"

“I hope that we will now be in a position to take action in a bipartisan way that will respond to this serious, serious, epidemic in our country,” said Cicilline. Cicilline commended President Barack Obama for taking leadership on the issue but noted the president could not do it alone.

“This is one of those moments when we need all hands on deck,” said Cicilline saying all lawmakers need to come together to reach a solution.

Obama is expected to task Vice President Joe Biden with spearheading a nationwide gun control effort this afternoon.