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Charles Dharapak / AP
President Barack Obama stands with Vice President Joe Biden as he makes a statement Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, about policies he will pursue following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. Obama is tasking Biden, a longtime gun control advocate, with spearheading the effort.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 | 10:57 a.m.
President Barack Obama has called for a special task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to deliver “a set of concrete proposals” on how to reduce gun violence to Congress by January.
Obama challenged Congress to act swiftly to pass a package of policies addressing everything from regulation of gun purchases to banning military-grade assault rifles to access to mental health and improvements in school safety.
“Any single gun law can’t solve all these problems,” Obama said. “The fact that this problem is complex may no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.”
Obama noted that how in the five days since 20 children and six adults were gunned down with an assault rifle at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., people from across the political spectrum have been revisiting their stances on gun laws.
In the Senate, at least three conservative Democrats who support gun rights have said it is time to discuss more stringently regulating access to guns. Others with a history of supporting gun rights, including Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, have not specifically called for new laws on gun control.
In making his case, Obama recalled several instances of gun violence since the Newtown tragedy — including a murder-suicide at the Excalibur on Friday.
According to a Centers for Disease Control study of data from 2006 and 2007, Las Vegas has the third-highest rate of gun-related deaths, behind only New Orelans and Detroit.
“If there is even one thing we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation — all of us — to try,” Obama said.
But he stressed that in calling for new laws, he was not trying to undo the 2nd Amendment.
“There is a big chunk of space between what the 2nd Amendment means and having no rules at all,” Obama said. “That space is what Joe’s going to be working on to try to identify where we can find some common ground.”
Biden wrote the 1994 crime bill that included the country’s most recent serious gun regulation, an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. When that ban passed, however, it had bipartisan support, including from former Republican President Ronald Reagan.
Now, the gun control discussion is more fraught with politics.
The National Rifle Association wields influence over the political process, thanks to its campaign donations and an annual rating system that grades lawmakers on how well NRA lobbyists believe they are supporting gun issues.
The president stressed that it is time for the NRA to change its outlook as well. “What we’ve seen over the last 20 years, 15 years, is this sense that anything related to guns is somehow an encroachment on the 2nd Amendment,” Obama said.
At a news conference, Obama was pressed about why, until now, he has not led a debate on gun control.
“I’ve been president of the United States dealing with the worst economic crisis since the great depression...I don’t think I’ve been on vacation,” he said, after a reporter asked him “where have you been” on gun control?
“As I said on Sunday, this should be a wake-up call for all of us to say that if we are not getting right the need to keep our children safe then nothing else matters,” Obama said.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.
"Obama challenged Congress to act swiftly to pass a package of policies addressing everything from regulation of gun purchases to banning military-grade assault rifles to access to mental health and improvements in school safety."
Banning/regulating firearms (safety devices) is unconstitutional.
People's health issues are private not public matters.
School safety improvements -- unarmed institutions, not just schools, will always be vulnerable to armed attacks.
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The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.
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Yes. The police.
If the NRA stands up at this press conference they are supposed to give and says "we want all those people who have guns in their homes to store them off premises or get rid of them if there are any documented mental health issues or emotional problems with people living in the home"...the NRA might get some sympathy. If they stand there defiant, they will begin to go the way of some of their supporters..into obscurity. It's their choice.
Led by joe biden?!?...seriously, were moe, larry or curly not available?
The vast, vast majority of gun violence occurs by criminals, the city of chicago has 10, 20, or more incidents EVERY WEEKEND.
There are already dozens of laws that are SUPPOSED to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Start by enforcing current gun laws and getting guns out of the hands of criminals.
There are some other things that should and can easily be done, one, the "gun show" loophole, and two prosecuting any AG (cough, eric holder) that runs guns from a government office.
"Banning/regulating firearms (safety devices) is unconstitutional."?????? I want my Vulcan gun for my home defense!!!! Hell, throw in a few RPG's also!
If a person living in a home is 4.5 times more likely to be killed with a firearm than one living in a home without a firearm, they can hardly be considered "safety devices"!
an old WHITE guy is gonna led the task...
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun."
Cute - real cute.
Then are you for or against a person killing 20 children?
It would seem you've already taken the position that it's OK to massacre children as long you get to keep your toy, your security blanket, your image as a "man".
We, as a pseudo "civilized" society, have said you can't make bombs or scream "FIRE!" in a theater and other steps that are for the common good of all.
So, in the end, we will (eventually) make the decision that like with the bombs, instruments of mass murder will become illegal and those that have them are criminals punishable by the law of the common good.
Mobs - armed or not - will not make the laws in this land and cutesy sayings are no substitute for law.
I admit life has taught me very little yet provided me the wisdom, as it should others to --
Never attack the RIGHTS of people but rather the PEOPLE who attack rights.
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Really the guy that was selling guns to Mexican Drug Cartels is going to propose rules to make us safer.
Here is my proposal, arrest Eric Holder and throw him in jail. Fire Joe Biden so he can not be president then follow Eric Holder into the cell and resign.
@steveinhenderson...
Do you mean GWB and "Operation Wide Receiver" ?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.
Who are the good guys in Las Vegas.
Banning/regulating firearms (safety devices) is unconstitutional.
Watch out for those guys in the white coats. Oh I forgot, Reagan ended the mental health clinics years ago.
Those attempting to forefeit another's RIGHTS are perhaps in need of mental health clinics as they are far more socially dangerous than any potential murderer of school children -- and much easier, as this subject matter reveals, to identify.
Those who cannot protect their rights - cannot protect their children.
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