WASHINGTON -- Just a little more than a month since the Connecticut school massacre, President Barack Obama tomorrow will be unveiling his proposals to fight gun violence.

The White House says he and Vice President Joe Biden will be joined by children who wrote the president letters after the Newtown shooting. Lawmakers and advocacy groups are also expected to attend.

There's still powerful opposition in Congress to sweeping gun regulations. So, congressional officials say Obama has been weighing 19 steps he could take through executive action alone.

Those steps could include ordering stricter action against people who lie on gun sale background checks. There could also be tougher penalties against gun trafficking. And schools could be given more flexibility to use grant money to improve safety.

Despite opposition from the gun lobby, Obama is vowing not to back off his support for legislation that would require congressional backing -- including banning assault weapons, limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines and instituting universal background checks.

Obama told reporters yesterday that he doesn't know if those ideas can get through Congress -- but that his "starting point is not to worry about the politics." He says he's focusing on "what makes sense, what works."