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When President Obama steps into the House chamber Tuesday night to give his State of the Union address, the crowd staring back at him will be an unusually demanding one.

The audience will include more than 30 Americans touched by gun violence and several undocumented immigrants 鈥� a human face on two of the most significant legislative challenges Mr. Obama will face in the coming year. 聽

It鈥檚 typical that lawmakers extend their single guest ticket to a representative of one of their cherished causes or a constituent with special relevance to the night鈥檚 proceedings.

For instance, House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio 鈥� who gets extra tickets for his high rank 鈥� has a聽guest list featuring two students and one principal from a Catholic school 鈥� an institution dear to him 鈥� and a former batboy from the Cincinnati Reds with an聽, among others.听

More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers, however, banded together to give their coveted tickets to a bloc of gun-violence victims 鈥� a counterweight to the widely discussed choice of聽Rep. Steve Stockman (R), of Texas, to invite rock star and gun rights advocate Ted Nugent. The Democratic effort was spearheaded by Rep. James Langevin (D) of Rhode Island, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a firearms accident as a young police recruit.听

Mr. Langevin invited Jim Tyrell of Warwick, R.I., whose sister Debbie was murdered during a robbery of her convenience store in 2004. Mr. Tyrell made his first-ever trip to the nation鈥檚 capital to 鈥渂e a small part of gun control on behalf of my sister,鈥� he said.

When Obama speaks to those who have been touched by gun violence, Tyrell said he hopes the president 鈥渓ooks at all these people鈥檚 lives and says, 鈥楾hat doesn鈥檛 have to happen to another person. Let鈥檚 do something about gun control now. The violence out there is outrageous.' 鈥澛�

Tyrell was part of an emotional news conference聽inside the Capitol on Tuesday,聽where he joined a dozen lawmakers and some three dozen other individuals affected by gun violence who will be in the audience Tuesday night, including the聽parents of a girl killed in Newtown, Conn., the family of a girl killed in Chicago only days after performing in Obama鈥檚 inaugural parade, and the mother of a student killed in the Virginia Tech shooting.

Meanwhile, five undocumented immigrants will join first lady Michelle Obama and lawmakers, including Sen. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D) of Illinois.听

For Julieta Garibay, an advocate and undocumented immigrant, being able to sit before the president reminded her of just how far those without legal status have come.听

Ms. Garibay, who will be the guest of Rep. Marc Veasey (D) of Texas, was talking to a friend hours before the speech and recalled joining the movement in support of the DREAM Act 鈥� which would聽allow the children of undocumented immigrants a special path to legal status 鈥撀爀ight years ago, 鈥渨hen it was very scary to even share my story because it wasn鈥檛 normal to say 鈥業鈥檓 undocumented and unafraid,鈥� 鈥� Garibay says. 鈥淎nd [now] I鈥檓 thinking, 鈥業鈥檓 going to be sitting next to the very people who vote and who make immigration reform possible.鈥欌�澛�

Garibay is too old to qualify for the deferred action program announced by Obama last summer, which offers a two-year stay of deportation and the ability to obtain a work permit, and so remains in immigration limbo.听

But as someone who came to America 20 years ago as a youth, she can hardly believe she鈥檚 carrying the DREAMer banner all the way into Congress. 聽

鈥淚t feels like such a huge responsibility,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be an unforgettable.鈥澛�

Binding the two groups together is the hopeful feeling that Obama will help usher through Congress legislation in support of their respective causes.听

Emily Nottingham, the mother of a staffer shot to death in an attack targeting former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona, pleaded her simple case on Monday afternoon.听

鈥淧lease,鈥� said Ms. Nottingham, addressing both the president and members of Congress, 鈥渄on鈥檛 let us down.鈥�