Florida Sen. Marco Rubio reacted sharply to President Barack Obama's comprehensive gun control plan announced Wednesday, accusing the president of abusing his executive powers by not allowing some of his policies to be debated in Congress.

“Guns are not the problem; criminals with evil in their hearts and mentally ill people prone to violence are," the Republican senator said in a statement. "Rather than sweeping measures that make it harder for responsible, law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms, we should focus on the root causes of gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill."

Obama on Wednesday used his presidential powers to sign 23 gun violence-related measures and urged Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition.

The $500 million package proposed by the president comes in the wake of the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which a troubled 21-year-old man fatally shot 20 children and six adults and wounded two others.

Rubio noted in his statement that as the father of four young children, he was "deeply saddened by the murder of innocent kids" and "expressed my hope that President Obama and our elected leaders would take a sober look at how we can prevent such heinous murders in the future."

But Rubio's said Obama's measures go too far.

"President Obama is targeting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens instead of seriously addressing the real underlying causes of such violence," Rubio said in his statement. "Rolling back responsible citizens’ rights is not the proper response to tragedies committed by criminals and the mentally ill.

"Making matters worse is that President Obama is again abusing his power by imposing his policies via executive fiat instead of allowing them to be debated in Congress. President Obama’s frustration with our republic and the way it works doesn’t give him license to ignore the Constitution."

Florida's other U.S. senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, said Obama is right to ask for a ban on assault rifles.

"People are buying assault weapons to kill others, not to hunt," Nelson said in a statement. "And when assault rifles are used to kill children, it's time for America to act. This is a problem that common sense and moderation should dictate what the law should be."