Following the deadly massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, thousands have signed an online petition calling for the White House to "immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress."

The petition, which was created earlier today on the White House's "We the People" site, has surpassed the 25,000 electronic signatures required for the Obama administration to review the request.

"The goal of this petition is to force the Obama Administration to produce legislation that limits access to guns. While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun related deaths," the petition reads.

"Powerful lobbying groups allow the ownership of guns to reach beyond the Constitution's intended purpose of the right to bear arms. Therefore, Congress must act on what is stated law, and face the reality that access to firearms reaches beyond what the Second Amendment intends to achieve. The signatures on this petition represent a collective demand for a bipartisan discussion resulting in a set of laws that regulates how a citizen obtains a gun," it continues.

After four years of relative silence on the issue of gun control, President Obama earlier today pledged to take "meaningful action" to prevent future tragedies like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

As of this writing over 31,000 have signed the petition.