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Green ribbons were on prominent display at President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, worn in honor of the victims of the Newton, Conn., elementary school shooting.

Judging from the people invited to sit with the first lady, the subjects the president will focus on include gun violence, the economy and the war in Afghanistan.

Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon speaks with Dr. Ronald Stephens, the executive director of the National School Safety Center, about some of the things schools are doing to beef up security in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. He says despite the nationwide concern about safety, schools remain among the safest places in the community.

Earlier this week, President Obama was in Minneapolis advocating new limits on guns; no law or set of laws, he said, can keep children completely safe. NPR's David Welna sent this reporter's notebook about what he heard from some of those engaged in the gun debate in his home state.

°µºÚ±¬ÁÏ reports about a parent of a child killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School being "heckled" by gun owners aren't necessarily supported by video of the incident. Watch and judge for yourself.

The gun control rally Saturday on the National Mall was organized after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 children died.

Gun control advocates acknowledged they'll face big obstacles in Congress to a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But they say the shooting last month of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut could make a difference.

The legislation would effectively reinstate a ban that was in effect from 1994 into 2004. But the bill faces long odds on Capitol Hill.

The national group WATCH D.O.G.S. organizes fathers to volunteer to provide security in their children's schools. After Sandy Hook, the group's strategy didn't change. Some Watchdogs say they've just become even more vigilant.

Although President Obama's major proposals, from banning assault rifles to more stringent background checks and ammunition limits, are being rolled out in the shadow of the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., their Capitol Hill prospects remain highly uncertain.