Montana Sen. Max Baucus, one of the Democratic Party’s foremost gun rights supporters, cautioned Wednesday against overreaching federal mandates that could adversely affect law-abiding gun owners.

“Recent tragedies have shaken all of us, and everyone wants to do their part to protect our children and communities from violence of all kinds.

“Enforcing the laws we already have on the books is good first step, and it’s clear more needs to be done to address access to mental health care,” Baucus said. “Before passing new laws, we need a thoughtful debate that respects responsible, law-abiding gun owners in Montana instead of one-size-fits all directives from Washington.”

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III expressed disappointment that Obama did not seek the establishment of a commission to explore ways to combat acts of mass violence such as the one in Newtown, Conn., that took the lives of 20 children and eight adults, including the shooter.

“A national commission can build the consensus we need for real action backed not only by gun control advocates, mental health experts and entertainment industry executives but also by law-abiding gun owners who fully understand the history and heritage of firearms in America,” Manchin said. “Violence destroys the dignity, hopes and lives of millions of Americans, and we have a unique opportunity to stop this epidemic but only if we can put politics aside and have an honest and effective conversation about what to do about our culture of mass violence.”