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President Barack Obama empaneled a new task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to develop comprehensive proposals to address gun violence no later than next month.
In the wake of last week's shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the president announced a new initiative that would include members of his cabinet and outside organizations to generate proposals to rein in gun violence. He said that any effort should include new restrictions on guns, but also improved access to mental health services and better management of violence in popular culture.
Obama vowed that the new task force would not be just another Washington commission, shorthand for the groups sometimes tasked with studying an issue or event but which often delay or dilute solutions long past the time when the original impetus for such a panel has passed.
President Obama announced Wednesday that Vice President Joe Biden will be developing proposals to curb gun violence, some of which may include banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity gun clips or magazines. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
Obama said he had asked Biden "to lead an effort that includes members of my cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of concrete proposals, no later than January," which the president would then push "without delay."
"This is not some Washington commission. This is not something where folks are going to be studying the issue for six months and publishing a report that gets read, and then pushed aside," the president said. "This is a team that has a very specific task: to pull together real reforms, right now."
Obama expressed support -- restating the position of his press secretary, Jay Carney -- for certain gun measures, including the assault weapons ban, limits on ammunition and closing a loophole allowing gun buyers to elude background checks at gun shows. But he stressed that those were only components of a broader effort to address violence.
The president suggested that stakeholders in those deliberations could possibly include the National Rifle Association -- the gun rights group that had gone silent in the wake of the Newtown shooting, but will hold a press conference on Friday. The president argued that mothers and fathers who compose the NRA's membership had also been impacted by the Newtown shooting.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden arrive at an announcement on gun reform in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House December 19, 2012 in Washington, DC.
"Their task is going to be to sift through every good idea that's out there, and even take a look at some bad ideas before disposing of them," Obama said of the task force's efforts.
Already, Democrats on Capitol Hill have started to initiate some gun control efforts in the aftermath of Newtown. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Wednesday for Republicans to bring up a vote on high-capacity ammunition magazines by this weekend. And West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D, introduced legislation to study the impact of violent video games on children.
Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she'll bring up a bill to reinstate the lapsed ban on assault weapons of the first day of the next Congress.
Few Republicans have stepped forward to embrace any of these gun measures, though, and have focused instead on the need for improved mental health services, or school safety.
Obama said his task force's proposals would make up part of his State of the Union address, and he expressed hope that the searing images from last week's shooting in Connecticut would last in the public conscious and help advance his eventual proposals.
"I would hope that our memories aren't so short that what we saw in Newtown isn't lingering with us -- that we don't remain passionate about it, only a month later," he said.
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President Obama, please immunize me from all advsere aspects of life. Wrap my house in bubble wrap, and arm me with rainbows of happiness and jars of unicorn farts.
Would your retarded mind be happy then?
Vern , do you even care that your comment shows you have no clue what Obama actually said? Do you even WANT to come back to reality?
Here's what every person who wants MORE Gun control doesn't understand....Banning assault rifles AND Hi capacity magazines is not going to REDUCE the number of these mass shootings OR the number of victims in these crimes. Anybody that thinks creating more gun laws is going to stop these mass shooting is crazy. The Sandy Hook school killer could just as easily took his Mom's 9mm handguns (also legal) with (15) 10 round clips...the number of innocent children killed would have been the same! This Nut job would have used a legal handgun just a easily.
The answer to what's going to stop these mass killings is very simple....and that's a deterrent!
Ask yourself this..Why don't you see these Mass shooting in our Local Police Station's or at our Gun ranges? That's because the bad guy knows he's EATING Lead as soon as he walks in the door! You put Armed Security including local CCW citizen volunteers in our Schools, Malls and Churches and these shootings will disappear over night. If that shooter KNEW people were Armed at Sandy Hook...there would probably be 20 children ALIVE today!
It has in other countries
obama is such an ass.....after he started yapping about gun control, gun sales have gone through the roof......walmart is sold out on many weapons.......obama is an ass....
How is it Obama's fault that gun worshippers are paranoid?
That's because all the right-wing paranoids are panicking and buying guns. You only have your own mental illness to blame.
However, the more panicked you are, the better I like it. I can imagin a a bunch of you, huddled over your calculators, trying to figure out how many car payments you can skip in order to buy your new AK or AR. LOL!!! I bet THAT leads to some divorces ;-)
And remember, kids, guns won't shoot without ammo, so you'd better stock up on that, too. Fill your bunkers while you can!
...Oh, and don't forget to pick a nice little shooter for your girlfriend-daughter.
wackie... the next time there is a mass shooting... may it be a child you love who is slaughtered... you are an ass... Obama is trying to do somthing to stop the insanity!
You keep telling us so called gun nuts to be afraid that we are going to lose our right to buy guns and now you say we are paranoid. Liberals make no sense. so should we be afraid of you are not. Should I be afraid in six months I can't spend my hard eraned money on something that the 2nd admendment says I can have to day and in it six months I can't. I don't understand liberals when the double speak
"You keep telling us so called gun nuts to be afraid that we are going to lose our right to buy guns"
I haven't heard anybody say that. It isn't true anyway.
Liberals don't understand the law of unnintended consequences.
From what I have seen liberals understand it better than most.
You mean like the availability of 300,000,000 guns in America???
See? You guys are liberals and have NO idea of what I'm talking about.
There's at least two possible explanations for that, Buick. The one one may be that we don't understand what you're talking about because you're not making any sense.
Stepehn and Jock, let me splane.
You can't legislate morality. When you try, people who don't care get around it. People who do care lose freedom.
California, it doesn't make sense to a liberal because you lack the ability to think rationally. That is after all why you are a liberal.
buick, perhaps we don't know what you are talking about because you didn't say what you are talking about. we are not mind readers.
So, you're saying nothing should be done. We should just let the mass shootings happen every 60 days. You're good with that, right?
Then why did you respond?
"You can't legislate morality."
I've always said that. Especially when social conservatves try to do exactly that.
"People who do care lose freedom"
But there are no freedoms that you are going to lose here.
"Then why did you respond?"
My response was to the general concept.
Stephen, that's exactly what I mean by not being able to think rationally. Because gun control is not the answer, nothing should be done? Did I say that? No. Libs cannot reason things out, only accuse and attack when their narrow view is questioned.
Example of the law of unintended consequences: California raises gas taxes to raise money...people quit driving as much...less gas sold. People living near state line cross to buy cheaper gas. Result? Revenue goes down, gas stations in Calif go out of business. People get laid off. etc, etc. It's the law of unintended consequences.
its the laws of intended consequences that worry me.
Buick,
Good points, but all lost when talking to blind ideologues.
There's 26 families in Connecticut right now that could care less about all of our rhetoric. The pain and sorrow they feel is incomprehensible. I'm not religious but I hope they can find Peace somewhere, somehow although I do not know how. My 4 year old has a cold so she slept in our bed last night. She was coughing, smelled like Vicks, kicked me a few fimes. It was like Heaven. Hug your children and say a prayer for all of those that have lost theirs.
and work hard to ban all guns from public domain...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
actually some of them do care about taking steps to help prevent this insanity happening again... how could they not?!
Here's the liberal "plan".
First, scare everyone that we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Then open the spending and borrowing floodgates to push our country towards bankruptcy.
Second, test the Constitution and the power of the President by using executive order to appoint liberals to posts and circumvent our immigration laws.
Third, blame everything on the rich, Wall Street and Capitalism. Introduce people to Socialism, slow and easy while making Capitalism look like a disaster.
Fourth, steal an election by demonizing your opponent rather than telling the truth about where you want to take the country.
Fifth, raise taxes on the small business employers and make them out to be the bad guy for laying people off.
Sixth, take guns away from citizens so they can't fight back when we get to the seventh goal.
Seventh, now that we have a defenseless citizenry, rip up the Constitution by telling everyone it's a "living, breathing document" and begin to transform the United States into Socialism where the government, not the people, control everything.
fear and smear... are tea billy characteristics ... nice spin of misinformation
And they probably still blame Bush.
or let financial crisises or a rise in crime cause mass unrest and civil disobedience to finally suspend the constitution then fema takes control and life as you knew it is dead.total control of everything.these plans are set,written up and ready to go.just waiting for the excuse.look up suspending the constitution.its all there to read.
"And they probably still blame Bush."
...with GOOD reason!
I think the first one, the one you forgot was 1) pick out a new tin foil hat.
The problem isn't guns, the problem is dangerous insane people that are loose in the public, they will find ways to kill. For the simple minded Demorats taking guns away from law abiding is a big mistake. For the people who don't want guns that is your right, but when someone breaks into your house with violence on their mind, let me know how hiding under your bed goes for you.
You should just call 911 and wait 45 minutes for help to arrive. Then praise Lord Obama for taking your gun
Our daughter has been shooting since she was 6 years old. My wife and I have never been able to explain to her why hoplophobes are afraid of guns.
Most anti-gun nuts fantasize about being victimized.
Some of them are planning far worse crimes after Americans are disarmed.
Oh, God, you have procreated.... gawd!
and anti gun nuts think that every gun is going to shoot someone.
KEEP your FAKE "gods", i.e. "jesus", and your FATAL guns to yourselves, you haters and losers.
There was no good reason for this dumb broad to spend her ex-husband's alimony and child support payments on that arsenal when she should've been getting that kid A LOT of help with his rather apparent mental health issues!
But instead, she chose to try and hide him away to herself, probably as a substitute for not having a husband any longer and not being fit enough herself to attract another man/husband.
She brought all this on herself!
Unfortunately, her self-centered stupidity got 26 innocent people slaughtered. Horribly sad, but TOTALLY preventable!!
Wow I bet you build rockets for a living
Classic example of one that should NOT own a firearm.
You chimps must me the "authorities" on typical gun-thugging albino cave chimp stupidity.
Keep THAT to yourselves, TOO, losers.
Did anyone see Larry Pratt school Pierce Morgan or whatever his name is on CNN? I just heard a transcript and Morgan really lost it big time. Im glad noone pays me big $$$ to defend gun grabbers
NRA is directly responsible fro this mess. They should have lobbied to ban assault weapons not oppose it. Now they will loose much more.
Lol.
There were no "assault weapons" involved in this tragedy.
Nra did not owen the guns or steal the guns that are used in crimes , if that is the case maybe we should start charging everyone that owens a car that is stolen and used in a crime ,or hit run . and lock them up..
or maybe we should hold everyone responible for everything the have no control over..
guns donts kill the dumb asses on the end of that gun are the one that is reponible for that. but it so much easier for anyone that is against or just doesnt like guns to blame everyone else...
I don't remember witness's reports of the NRA being there. You need to report this to the police. I thought this idiot acted alone.
YEah the NRA did it. Im still trying to teach my assault riffle how to killl on its on and Im having no luck at all. I yell at it, offer it some extra gun oil for a treat and it still wont kill without me, hell it wont even fire without me pulling the trigger. I was told these assault riffles are killing all of these people and mine wont even fire., I blame the NRA too because they should have banned them. I want my money back
NRA fought tooth and nail against each and any effort to regulate guns. semis, 30 bullet magazines should have been banned long time ago and they would if not for NRA. Most likely many of the little ones in Ct would be with us alive.
NRA Directly responsible, Again with the Liberal double speak. And Obama and Clinton were directly responsible for the Deaths in Bengazi
more gun control is not the answer . yes put god back in our schools , church, lives,.. teacher your kids right from wrong . . how about we make the punshiment for the crime harder and start stringing all these people up in town circle that are on death row and start showing there is serious punshiment for the crimes that you commit and stop wasting tax payers dollars.. As far as Obama demanding .. Maybe the American people that beleave in this country and have fought for this country should start demanding to the house ,senate, congress to get off there asses and inforce the laws that are there instead of trying to make new laws and take away more of our rights. or just get out.. .. we as americans need to wake up and we may have to take back this country to get it back on track..
First of all, Norway has Gun laws an has had them for years. Look at what happened at a Political Party (Labor Party) camp in June of 2011. We aren't the only country with nuts running lose.
Obama kills more children with Predator drones than Lanza killed with guns. Should Obama and Predator drones be banned?
Drones don't kill, they're just tools.
Kind of like you.
Guns don't kill , they are just tools.
Drones dont kill commie presidents do. Yeah I would ban them and the 20,000 he has flying over America spying on We The People.
Kind of like you, too, deer.
@Big D: But you were all in favor of warrantless wiretaps under Bush to weed out the commies and terrorists then, weren't you?
What a dipsh!t! ;-)
The R.I.P. Victoria Soto Facebook page was posted on 12/10/2012 - yes, four days prior to her death. It has now been corrected to 12/16/2012. Google it, and see the evidence for yourself.
What does this mean?
THINK!
This event was an "engineered" event, a public sacrifice of kids and adults for political purposes. Just like 9/11 was engineered to give us the beginnings of a Police State and endless war.
We are dealing with MONSTERS of Biblical proportions, demons that will kill little kids to achieve their socio-political aims.
Ok, I think we can all agree...you're a complete f-v-c-k-i-n-g tool.
Dawn Hochsprung was interviewed by the Newtown Bee shortly AFTER the shootings. Then she was found dead. The Bee took three days to "retract" the story, claiming "someone" "impersonated" Dawn Hochsprung. Google for the evidence.
What does this mean?
THINK!
This event was an "engineered" event, a public sacrifice of kids and adults for political purposes. Just like 9/11 was engineered to give us the beginnings of a Police State and endless war.
Sorry, John, they HAVE to kill you now, if for no other reason than to teach others a lesson.
You were brave, too bad you're going to be dead soon.
Oh, well, 'bye.
Barack Hussein Obama DEMANDS. There were others like him that demanded. Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot. Good company you are keeping Barry. Oh, and I demand that you show your passports, social security NUMBERS, college applications. You work for me. I do not work for you.
Amen.
Nice try. The first one to Hitler loses the argument!
Ah, I love the sweet sound of sour losers bitching in the evening!
I find it soothing.
Oh grow up. If he didn't say it strongly you owuld call him wimpy. Yuo are just looking for excuses to hate. It is pathetic.
I never hate. I dislike. And I strongly dislike you democrat-communist slugs. Especially you!
The feeling is mutual I'm sure.
The NRA is a
Place to learn firearms safety:
http://training.nra.org/
Place for Law Enforcement training and competitions:
http://le.nra.org/
Place to see the National Firearms Museum:
http://www.nramuseum.org/the-guns/featured-guns.aspx
Place to train for the Olympics:
http://www.usashooting.org/membership/youth-programs/youthrifle
Place to go to purchase a WWII M-1 Garand Rifle through the Civilian Marksmanship Program:
http://www.odcmp.com/
.
Instead of blindly bashing an organization you know nothing about, shall we have a real discussion on what seem to be the commonalities and causes of these tragedies?
This whole school shooting/assaulting thing started in 1999 in Colorado (at the height of the AWB).
.
Did you know that both Harris and Klebold played violent video games? Did you know that Harris created his own levels in Doom? Did you know that it is claimed that Dylan had early on created Doom levels that closely mimicked the layout of Columbine High School?
.
.
I have no problem with most of what the NRA does . It is just the political blackmail with campaign cash that I take issue with.
So what to do they have to offer? Status quo? I thought so.
I don't represent the NRA, but here's where the real focus needs to go:
The real focus needs to be on EVERY aspect of this. Way to shirk doing your part! Typical.
It is tragic, that only 150 years after so many hard-working blue-collar middle-class conservative Republicans (like President Abraham Lincoln) laid down their very lives to free the blacks from their out-of-touch rich elitist liberal DemoKKKrat slave owners, that the DemoKKKrats have been able to fool so many blacks into once again becoming enslaved to the DemoKKKrat party.
And all they had to do to pull it off, was to use a half-black guy as a front man. The fools that voted for him never even realized that he was a Harvard-educated millionaire attorney lifetime career politician born to a 100% white mother.
conservative = things is just fine the way they are
Good luck getting the pro gun folks to offer anything constructive. A few dead kids, what's the big deal?
45,000,000 million dead kids from abortion, "what's the big deal"?
You willing to overturn Roe v. Wade in exchange for repealing the Second Amendment?
Stupid false equivalent. Anything to curtail the discussion. Status quo lover.
The mere fact that my President and others in Congress having a knee-jerk reaction to this tragedy upsets me more than the fact they are trying to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. How can anyone not see the glaring problem that this incident shows when it concerns the safety of not just our children, but for all citizens.
Our public places are not secure and since we are a country that is at war with terrorists and we have people among us that seek to gain some form of notoriety by doing a mass killing, I find it extremely upsetting that our "leaders" once again whats to tell us that government passing a law will make a difference. Do people realize how many laws that dirt bag (won't speak his name) had broken? Do people really think that coming up with legislation from Washington will actually deter someone from gaining access to a firearm and doing this again?
Matter of fact, let's examine how the dirt bag was so successful and you would see that he was successful by targeting a school where he faced ZERO security. People talking about the "assault rifle", but the truth is that I could have went in there with about 3-4 mags for a pistol and killed just as much as he did because the rifle was a semi-automatic and only fires each time you pull the trigger, much like a pistol, but only a stronger caliber of weapon. People are so ignorant about this whole thing that they are willing to look at this with "opinions" and not with common sense.
Beside the fact knowing how many people got killed, what bothered me to no end was looking at the tactical teams entering the building after all the damage was done and I asked myself why in the world are we employing these teams when they are not used in a fashion to prevent or contain something like this? Why were there no professional security personnel in the school in the first place? I'm not talking about more uniformed police, I'm talking about 2-3 personnel (in civilian attire) who are not part of the faculty and are highly trained (former LE or military background with an extensive background check) hired to carry concealed weapons inside the school for any contingencies that may arise.
That is what we should be talking about because banning rifles won't do a thing unless you ban ALL weapons which everyone knows only affects law abiding citizens because criminals won't care and they will keep and attain the weapons anyway they can, and we all know that they will. This is 100% about security and that is what the President, Biden, and the rest of the suits need to be discussing. Not appeasing their political supporters that want gun control thinking it would make people more safe or that the fact young innocent children and teachers were gunned down, so more paperwork is the answer.
The answer lies in employing trained and dedicated individuals to protect us. I served 3 tours overseas protecting people who are not of my country, but god forbid my own country would put a weapon in my hands to protect our own. American people should DEMAND that our state and federal government do something about security and getting trained individuals to secure our public places and be a force multiplier for LE.
We are discussing all of these things.
OK you Reich Wing cretins, am signing off for the time being. I've had my fill of you crazies and all your tired, worn out, NRA talking points, "guns don't kill people", "when guns are outlawed, then I'll be an outlaw", "no gun ever fired itself and killed someone", "if we outlaw guns, then only criminals will have guns", blah, blah, blah and more steaming horse@!$%#.
Here's a clue you dummies, owning firearms does not make you a real man, it does not mean that you are a true blue, American patriot, it merely means that you either like firearms or you feel the need for personal protection. But all this crap about the Second Ammendment and how "Big Government" is coming for your guns and "one world order" and every other crackpot scheme that I've heard from the Right, is nothing but rubbish. NO ONE is looking to take your guns away. We are saying that all guns should be registered (just like a car), that EVERYONE pass a background check, even at gun shows and that internet sales of firearms be outlawed. Far too easy for the bad guys to get them that way, in case you hadn't figured it out. We also say that para military weapons like the AR be banned and that large capacity magazines be outlawed. No hunter needs a 32 round magazine and if you feel you do need it for your personal protection then I'd hate to live in your neighborhood.
But please, stop with the flag waving, jingoistic nonsense, it's really embarrassing. We regulate prescription drugs and I see no reason why firearms should get a pass. These tired talking points about "Hitler took away the people's guns" is more nonsense. If you think that you're going to hold off the U.S. government with your AR-15 against armoured vehicles and A-10 ground attack aircraft then you're even further gone then I already think you are. This is not the Wild West and even there, in many towns you had to check your weapons with the sherriff.
I live only minutes from Newtown and some of the victims lived here in my town or close by. You go tell the parents of those school kids about your constitutional rights. I doubt they'll be impressed by your argument. There have been more tears shed in and around Newtown then I've ever seen in my entire life. Guns may not kill people but bullets sure as hell do and we have to restore some sanity to the gun laws in this country.
Are you willing to overturn Roe v. Wade in exchange for repealing the Second Amendment?
Ozzie, gotta go out and practice goose stepping in your back yard?
See you when you get back from your Klan rally, Ozzie.
Ozzie, go play with Tony! If you do not like guns, then stay away from them.
You can show no relationship between this troubled young man and the NRA.
But, I guess it makes you feel better to find something to blame. I wish you could focus on the real cause of what took place here, and at all the other school shootings since Columbine:
Here's the truth; the ugly truth.
Violent video games are significantly associated with: increased aggressive
behavior, thoughts, and affect; increased physiological arousal; and
decreased prosocial (helping) behavior. Average effect sizes for
experimental studies (which help establish causality) and correlational
studies (which allow examination of serious violent behavior) appear
comparable (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).
http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/10/anderson.aspx
.
Firearms have been around since before the nation was founded. Video games,
not nearly as long.
Doom came out in 1993. Wolfenstein is celebrating 20 years.
The first school shooting was Columbine in 1999.
Both shooters played these violent games a lot. So did Lanza.
Try to think rationally, please.
Because the Constitution talks about hunting bout 20 times? Nobody thinks you will change your pea sized brain about Obozo or what he wants.
I'm still waiting for you to say you will post a sign at your house proclaiming your property a gun-free zone. I'm betting you will not. ha ha
Every illegal weapon, traced far enough, will eventually lead to the NRA. None of them start out as illegal.
Vern, are you really stupid enough to believe that the current Democratic party has anything to do with the southern racists? They all changed to Republicans. And they were never liberals, anyway.
"I'm still waiting for you to say you will post a sign at your house proclaiming your property a gun-free zone"
I would have no particular problem with that, but I also don't know why you think it is relevant to the current issue. Nobody is taking away your ability to defend yourself.
Listening to President Obama's speech at the vigil for the victims in Ct, I realized how much I miss George W. Bush's oratory. He used to send me into a rapture. Did any of you erudite gun lovers feel the same?
I bet you like cartoons also.
No but I bet you will miss your freedoms when you realize you don't have them any more.
plumber, if I ever lose any freedoms I'll let you know.
Dawn Hochsprung was interviewed by the Newtown Bee shortly AFTER the shootings. Then she was found dead. The Bee took three days to "retract" the story, claiming "someone" "impersonated" Dawn Hochsprung. Google for the evidence.
What does this mean?
THINK!
This event was an "engineered" event, a public sacrifice of kids and adults for political purposes. Just like 9/11 was engineered to give us the beginnings of a Police State and endless war.
We are dealing with MONSTERS of Biblical proportions, demons that will kill little kids to achieve their socio-political aims.
Sorry, John, they HAVE to kill you now, if for no other reason than to teach others a lesson.
You were brave, too bad you're going to be dead soon.
Oh, well, 'bye.
The real irony of those that complain about the outcome of the
last election is….
That they actually believe there was one…..
Lets see how this plays out? We have 314,000,000 guns in the hands of American citizens. We have a military of 1,700,000. Everyone in the Military swore to uphold the Constitution and Bill Of Rights when they enlisted. The 2nd amendment and 6th amendment are our constitutional guarantees!!!!!!!! If Obama wants to follow in the foot steps of Chile,s elected dictator Allende that is his choice. Obama is putting us in a economic collapse the same as Chile was. People are rapidly realizing that Obama is out to destroy America. Obama refuses to recognize that people make history, and history repeats its self. It is a fact arrogance and ignorance are the personality traits that all tyrants exhibit. Obama would be wise to spend an evening watching the videos of what happened to Allende in Chile. If Obama continues to destroy our economy and take our guns he will create the same circumstances that Allende insight-ed.
And we thought we were done laughing at the right wing droolers... LOL!!!
Not so !!!The entertainment continues !!!
Thanks...
When you find your way back to reality, let us know.
How about this, you show me where Obama said he wants your guns?
The U.S. government argues in federal court (U.S. v. Emerson information page) that there is absolutely no right of an individual to own firearms!
Does it hurt, being that stupid?