Yoko Ono tweets against gun violence, shows John Lennon’s bloody glasses

Yoko Ono is taking to Twitter to speak out about gun violence, and she's picked up some very influential followers as a result.

More than 30 years after her husband, former Beatle John Lennon, was gunned down outside their New York home, Ono is using the micro blogging site to support tougher gun laws.

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," she tweeted.

One of her tweets included a photograph of Lennon's blood-stained glasses, worn the day he was shot, Reuters reported.

The Twitter account of US President Barack Obama retweeted Ono's photo to nearly 29 million followers.

The president's account is managed by Organizing for Action, a not-for-profit group created by his former campaign manager, CBS News reported.

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Obama's retweet comes as politicians grapple over increased gun control.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats are confident they can pass expanded background checks for gun buyers even after a ban on assault weapons failed.

The Washington Post reported that Democrats are working with Republicans on gun control measures that would close loopholes in background checks.

Lennon was gunned down outside the Dakota building in Manhattan by Mark David Chapman as the couple returned home.

The 80-year-old widow said "after 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him."

Today would have been the couple's 44th anniversary.