E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
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.
Leave a Comment:
Seems that all of these criminals get their weapons from"law abiding citizens". Where's the accountability?
There should be gun control laws. Gun owner ship should be limited to handguns for personal protection plus rifles and shotguns for hunting purposes only. There is no reason for anyone to possess an automatic weapon capable of firing many rounds. Weapons of war are for war not for personal use or possessed under the pretense of collectible item. Should be like shotguns when hunting game birds restricted to 3 rounds. Implementing better or improving background checks is definitely in order.
The reason is to be able to forcibly resist out-of-control, homicidal government, that's what.
The issue was whether Obama was sincere or mealy-mouthed. The gun talk is silly. The libs that know about guns lie; the ones that don't know about guns don't want to know about guns. The righties sometime lie too, or else also are ignorant about guns. This Obama forum is about his motivation in his upchuck about 'violence' and 'assault weapons'. I thought.
I submit Obama is going to propose (or have his stooge propose) a raft of draconion regulations. He knows these will never be enacted. He doesn't want them to be enacted. It is just like his cliff crap. He ensures reasonable people are going to reject his programs so he can point to these people, insult them, and blame them for his disasters. He possibly wants as many have said, an excuse to try taking over as some sort of dictator. Anyone so secretive of his past, his heritage, his education, anyone so downright lazy and incompetent as Obama has proven to be is not trustworthy and his motives are always legitmate fodder.
John, please try to take over the government now, I look forward to you rotting in prison. Tom343 you are just a complete ass hat that deserves little reply.
There is a petition at the White House website for the President to sign an executive order banning assault weapons and high capacity ammunition. This site will not allow me to post the link but if you can find it, sign it.
What, exactly is high capacity ammunition?
Is there a petition I can sign for the President to sign an executive order banning the murder of several dozen first-graders? There really should be a law against that.
For the last time..."Assault weapon" has no technical definition.
@Patti
Patti from Chicago again.
Your city has the strictest gun laws/bans in place. How are those working out in parts of Chicago? Oh yeah, that's right they don't work at all. LOL
Does it define assault weapons? Give a list of them? Does it say all self-loading rifles are assault weapons? Even my beat-up 1905-vintage Remington deer rifle? If I paint my Bushmaster .223 red and blue and drop it into a fine walnut stock is it still an assault weapon? If I paint my 1905 Remington deer rifle dull black and hang a pistol grip onto it is it still a broken-down old deer rifle? No assault weapon for example was used by Lanza at Newtown.
What is the figure that makes a magazine a high-capacity magazine? 3? 5? 10?
Is the bill cognizant that one needs a rifle that one's national armed forces either uses or has used in order to compete in many recognized rifle matches?
The hypocrisy of the left knows no bounds. Make it legal to murder unborn children while still in the sanctuary of their mother's womb, then feign indignation over some whackjob murdering children. Exploit these murders because they weren't sanctioned by the government, but remain silent or obstructive over fast & furious weapons killing innocent children in Mexico. Never miss an opportunity to exploit a crisis!
Blah...blah...blah....
So much for Rights, huh? Just the ones you don't agree with. Talk about your hypocrisy.
Stephen, the U.S. Constitution makes no mention of infanticide on demand.
Stephen doesn't care about the constitution.
2/3 of the House, 2/3 of the Senate, 75% of the states. Anything less is Unconstitutional, lllegal, and Impeachable. The Federal government can't do a thing without the ammendment process. Of course King Obama will do it anyway because nobody has the nads to stop him.
Yeah, that's why he has had his way on every issue over the last 4 years.
Do you ever stop to look at the stupid @!$%# you write?
It would be nice if the pro gun people had the nads to step up to the plate and offer some realistic solutions.
I have, one police officer for every five hundred students in every school in america, that is a realistic solution.
Unfortunately, no solution is realistic to you guys unless it's YOUR solution.
Schools are gun free zones, that's why this guy went there. So, how is making guns illegal going to stop criminals that don't follow the law anyway? Are you suggesting that we can get rid of all the guns in the world so that nobody can get to them? Sign me up! Get rid of all the guns in the world and I'll gladly turn mine in. But I fear you only care about disarming law abiding citizens. You people that wish to punish the law abiding for the actions of criminals are truly pathetic creatures. You would have no chance at being free unless made so and kept so by better men than yourselves.
Waterguy, I'm glad you know exactly why this guy went there. I can see this issue is far to complex for any of you neanderthals to fathom. Maybe you guys should just stay barricaded in your homes. Your buddies are saying that video games are the problem, some of them are blaming Hollywood. The fiscal conservatives are all for cutting social programs that serve the mentally ill while blaming the mentally ill for the problem.Nobody is asking you to give up your guns. Although from the level of intelligence I'm seeing, maybe someone should.
Wasn't one of the republican party's major talking points during the election that the President was ineffective at getting anything done? I don't support gun control, but your statement is just stupid.
Move the police stations to the schools!!
I bought some Sudafed today and I had to show more ID to the Pharmacist than I would need to go to a gun show and buy an AK47 and 30 round clips.
Pharmaceuticals are not covered by the Second Amendment.
Now, if you'd like to discuss the causes of this shooting, start on this:
There is no Constitutional Right to possession of the precursor chemicals for crystal methamphetamine.
...and there is no such thing as "30 round clips", at any price.
Have to have ID to buy at a gun show. And pass background check. Ever been to a gun show?
But having to show ID to vote is a hardship.
Vern-1642229
Not sure what you are trying to say. Go to Bushmaster site for more info.
They are Magazines, not clips
What Vern is refering to is the fact they are called magazines not clips. But he is one of the informed people on this site. Unlike many others.
Bingo.
Many private sales occur at gun sales. If by law you could not sell some artifice you own except through a dealerdo you really own the artifice? If so is responsibility diluted as ownership is?
So far as the Sudafed is concerned, it is not clear to me that the state can arbitrarily proscribe or hinder these patent medicines on a whim. Clever crooks can build enormously dangerous stuff from things sold at the supermarket.When does this nanny crap end?
Interesting fact, the largest free standing army on the
planet – the privately armed American citizens, the reason America is still
free is the fact that the armed private citizens outnumber the police and the
military by 150 to 1, that is why you cannot take the guns away, it is just
simply impossible, Americans will not allow it, ever, we are in complete
control of our destiny, exactly as the forefathers intended.
This is also why some politicians are angry, because they
will never have complete control, only that which was granted to them,
do tell
The NRA sucks -- Join Gun Owners of America, they will stand up for your rights
Still waiting for a volunteer to post a sign on their driveway proclaiming their property a Gun-free zone. Come on Libs, the Obama-God will protect you doncha think?
I have already said that I would have no problem with that, but I also don't know why you think it is relevant. Nobody is taking away your right to defened yourself.
Jockstrap
No you wouldn't . Your a liar & you know it. Nobody would invite a criminal to his home by putting a sign up like that. Blow that smoke up someone else's ass.
I wouldn't because I have no reason to, but i wouldn't be too worried about it if I did. I don't imagine scary people roaming around just looking for a chance to rape the women and children.
But why is it relevant to the current issue?
What we need to remember here folks is that these people that want to regulate our guns are also the same people that put 100s of fire arms in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Those idiots could not regulate a stop light.
FAIL!!!
For the pro gunners I have a simple question. What is your solution to stop the 30+ murders per day in this country, or are you satisfied with the status quo? No name calling or insults please. Just ideas.
More guns !!!!!!!!
Personally, I'm surprised they haven't advocated arming 6 year olds.
They'll probably get to that before the end of the week...
After 9-11 not having an armed guard at ALL schools is disgraceful. If someone wanted to strike at a country what better way than to hit its most vulnerable. This is a failure on a local level!
Arm yourself with a gun and learn how to use it. I know to someone unfamiliar with guns it sounds terrible. But it works..
Read a short book called "Armed and Female" and you may see what I mean.
In posts above, Vern here is bragging about doing exactly that.. training his six old to use a gun. So, yeah, the mentally ill right will no doubt soon be pushing for the arming of six old year olds... and I'm not even committed to support of gun control and even I think the pro-gun crowd on these boards are nuts.
In every single case where the right to carry laws have been
opened up and private citizens have been allowed to defend themselves, violent
gun crimes have been reduced, your facts are true, however check the locations
and the current gun laws of the areas where it is occurring, and be sure to
factor in the population size, the correlation will be all to obvious.
get a gun and dont be a soft target. I started shooting when I was 10 and Ive never even had to point a gun at a human
Murders happen regardless of the tools used. Contrary to belief, America is not the murder capital of the world. Not even close.
Bill, used to go deer hunting with my dad. I always thought it was pointless and boring. Was always a damn good shot too, again, pointless and boring. I don't own any guns. I drive school bus part time. There is a sherriff present at our school every day, has been there for a few years now. He does not look like the ominous presence that you alude too. I thing you people are the real knee jerkers here. You create a cynical world.
@ Z-933870
You've got that right.
Gun control advocates, bite me. strick gun control laws in australia very quickly saw a increase in homicides by gun. strick control in D.C. yet one of the highest homicide rates in the country(by guns). Isreal requires teachers and aids to be armed, yet have had no school shootings in 40 years. wonder how that would work with restrictions given there environment and constant attack by islamist terrorists. Lets look a little closer to home for some facts on how gun control works in the realm of these type proposals. lets take our next door neighbor Mexico for an example. Do your research and see what they have in place for gun control laws first, then check the homicide by gun rate , even check that against ours. If you want to reduce the deaths, the numbers are very much in favor of more people being armed legally than any situation that leaves only the criminals armed. Another odd fact from our own F.B.I. stat's, more homicides in this country are commited by a baseball bat than guns. when we address the biggest issue at fault here, we will be looking at mental health care, not gun control. I have an associate at work that collects guns, and also goes to shooting matchs. He has no problem letting people know he has a wide collection and that he knows how to use them well. If you want to go visit him, most people call ahead to let him know they are comeing. Nobody in there right mind would try to break into his home. Advocates for gun control, I ask you this one question. Would you really rather have, your son or daughters teacher, trying to protect them from an intruder with a gun, with only a ruler in their hand, or a 9mm handgun? Try to give that some real thought, next time this hppens it could be your kids or grandkids in jeapordy, protection or restrictions.
Maybe Barack Hussein could quit arming Mexican drug cartels with machineguns to use against American police officers.
The government never did it the way you describe, and what they did do was stopped along time ago.
They did do it . Not intentionally , but it DID happen.
same NRA paid trolls repeating the same nonsense. have some compassion, STFU, you have done enough.
The last time I looked I paid the NRA.
Damn I'm doing something wrong. I'm not getting paid.
I have lots of compassion.
If I have compassion for the 28 people killed in Newtown, 12 people killed in Colorada, 6 people shot in Arizona, etc how much compassion do you think I should have for the 47,515 people killed in Mexico since 2006 because of the United States Illegal drug addictions?
If I gave each issue the compassion it deserves then shouldn't I be concerned more with the issue of our borders not being secure and our immigration laws not being enforced which is causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people a year?
Securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws could save tens of thousands of lives each year. Passing new gun control laws will have little if any real impact at all.
How about if I decide where to place my compassion and you stop trying to make people feel bad simply because they don't share your World View and Ideology.
Yea, I pay them also.
rep1234-6765418
Aww are ya mad? Good, you deserve it. Enjoy.
And you prohibitionists call progunners paranoid?
Ditto that Solar. A yearly membership is $35.00.
If the Left will spend mass amounts supporting Pro choice groups that Lobby for killing babies I can certainly afford $25.00 a year to a group that is trying to protect my Second Amendment rights, supports scholarships for shooting sports, Gun Safety training programs, etc.
I wonder how many scholarships you can get for being good at getting abortions...
@ rep1234
The NRA has between 4 - 5 million members. There are an estimated 85+ million gun owners in the U.S., so most of them don't support/belong to the NRA.
#1934.THAT"S why we don't give up our rights
it makes most of these arguments pethetic and dead.read that and you get the cobwebs out of the way.#1934 empowers you.thanks pained1 for pointing that one out.
"Voter registration laws?? ....Hell no!!....this violates people's constitutional rights!!!"
.
Who said that again?? .....was it every liberal?
Every precinct the the nation has voter registration laws WTF are you talking about?
Note to the forum...
Little vern's mommy is currently busy...
Little vern has no adult supervision... Sadly...
For all those of you who think stronger gun control could have somehow prevented this tragedy....I point you in the direction of a CURRENT gun control law....that it is ILLEGAL for ANY civilian to carry a gun onto school properties!!! Odd that you think that more gun laws would stop such tragedies when another that was already in place did absolutely no good...in fact, were it NOT for that law, perhaps someone may have actually been there with a concealed carry permit who could have prevented so many deaths!
Then of course is the fact that you can easily find videos of interviewed CRIMINALS saying how much they like gun restrictions and gun control laws....not only does it make it easier for the criminals when law abiding citizens cant protect themselves, but also a criminal feels no need to follow gun regulations when looking for a gun....all they need to do is have the money and know the right ppl! Stopping law abiding citizens from being able to legally purchase, own, or carry guns will NEVER change that.
As long as guns exist in this world there will be gun related deaths, just as there will be automobile related deaths as long as automobiles exist....in fact automobiles accidents produce FAR more deaths than guns ever will....what should we do about that....ban cars? Sounds legit!! And before anyone says anything about a national registry, it should be pointed out that it is much more difficult for a law abiding citizen to purchase a gun than any of you anti-gun advocators realize, not to mention the fact that a concealed carry license automatically serves as a sort of registry anyways, since as soon as a police officer runs your record it automatically comes up....
As far as my "not needing" more than 10 rounds in any gun, or not needing "military grade" guns....these are phrases used by people who obviously know very little, if anything, about guns! Besides which, we may not NEED them, but who needs a car that goes faster than 60mph? Ask yourselves, what would you do if your government told you that something (ANYTHING) that you have in your legal possession you can no longer have because of some new stupid law? For all those who can't seem to stop looking to the next person, trying to take some right or another away from people....how will you feel when the things YOU love and enjoy and have LEGALLY all of a sudden become illegal?
How about for once you all NOT look to us legal and law abiding gun owners every time something like this happens, and instead look to THE CRIMINAL! While you're trying to take my guns away from me, hes just gonna plead insanity and get a lighter sentence! Does that even bother any of you, or are you gonna be too busy removing guns which DIDN'T get used in any crimes out of innocent people's homes?!? Stop blaming innocent gun owners for other people's crimes....
"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!"
.
.
-Adolf Hitler,1935
Well, if he had stopped there we might have been fine.
The German Weapons Act of 1938 banned the use of, sale to, or possession of guns by Jews. Think things might have been a bit different with the holocaust if every Jew had a 12 gauge??? ......don't fool yourselves....this was less than 100 years ago and the same thing could happen here....
Yeah and we will all hold hands and sing Kumbaya and the skies will turn pink and rivers will flow with milk and honey
Actually, he never said that. That's an oft-quoted false quotation. His regime did ban guns.. most likely because he didn't like anybody but his own thugs having them, but he never made a speech or issued a statement about it personally. Himmler did.. something about join the army if you want to use a gun in the service of the Nazi state, but Hitler didn't.
HopeisGone
Hitler also said..... Sounds like the republican party to me.
P.s. When did Obama say he wanted to get rid of all guns? As usual.. more righty bs
ItsAboutTime.....anyone can easily fact check your quote and see that it is absolutely false!! Why do you feel the need to spread lies?
.
...and on getting rid of all guns? Obama hasn't directly said it, but Democrat Party heavyweights like Pelosi and Feinstein absolutely have!!
I heard Obama demand nothing. He said this task force would not be a Washington style committee where after months of work it is ignored ( I assume he was speaking of his own Simpson-Bowles committee that he created and ignored). They have already said that mosr automatic weapons will still be available, and then we can always have a fast and furious to get more out there.
Joe Biden will advise that we need more teachers and more police to teach gun safety. Translation "union jobs."
The mental health is a loser because of the first amendment. I worked in the field when institutions were closed and a big push was put on for the rights of the mental handicapped. Those who would commit these crimes will not avail themselves to services and you have a hard time getting the dangerous off the street unless they actually commit a crime. If you intervene on a hunch and nothing happens then you cannot justify that something would have happened. It boils down to the fact that Dems and Repubs alike must stop being bribed by lobbies and do what they were elected to do.
We need term limits so politicians are not trying to protect their jobs for life.
Those who died deserve better than what will come of this. In a country that is at war more often than not we have come to accept our young people being killed. I live near Philadelphia and hardly a day goes by without a murder and The President's city of Chicago is worse.
We should have long sentences for anyone who uses a gun in a crime regardless if it is fired and we should not have gun clips with more than 8 shots.
No more than eight rounds? Ludicrous, it takes two seconds
to change a handgun magazine, so if the assailant has two twelve round
magazines or three eight round magazines the difference in twenty four shots is
still only a few seconds, so that makes the topic utterly irrelevant.
Most states have mandatory jail sentences for use of a gun in a crime. Unfortunately they are rarely enforced in domestic abuse and other cases.
Obama is directly responsible for the Killing of the Border patrol agent by sending the weapons to Mexico, Obama is directly Responsible for that Marine that Killed all those Innocent Afghan children, Obama is responsible for Not creating jobs. Applying Liberal Logic
In your mind, maybe.
Stop making sense, you are going to hurt the Obamabots
Mr. President the latest poll I've seen on several TV stations were, that the majority of the American people now support gun regulation, I agree we are not yet comfortable to the thought of total disarmament but this is a very positive development. A terrible and incomprehensible tragedy had to occur to spur public opinion to ask the govt. for a sensible, common sense approach to gun control, so go with the flow Mr. Prez., in fact push it along, the bully pulpit is yours, history is yours to make, the Aussies. and the Scotts. had successfully passed gun laws after similar horrifying events, your administration can too. A man of your stature, the recipient of the 2009 "Nobel Peace Price", I know can and will arrest this violence and protect our most vulnerable. Let history remember the man of peace Barrack Obama, stemmed the tide of violence in the USA by regulating lethal 'man' toys of the "machismo" culture.
what a suckass! i nominate ganon for brown-noser of the year.
Yeah the Nobel Peace prize winner has started how many wars now and killed how many inocent children in the Middle East?? THen he signes the NEAA where he can now assasinate American citizens who the suspects are terrorist.. AND so we should just hand over our guns to the tryant,, yeah good idea
ganon lang
Please stop, I think I'm going to cry. No, it was puke.
@ganon
Just worry about the laws in your own country & leave the U.S. alone.
"Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA — ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State." - Heinrich Himmler
.
"But assault weapons? If people want to use them, they should join the military.” -John Kerry
Go away unAmerican Satan Troll!
who...John Kerry?? ....I agree!!
Who decides how many is too many guns? The govt? They are forbidden to do so by the 2nd amendment
And the increase in guns has resulted in less gun violence in the US, not more
And crime is increasing in Europe, is that the example you really want to follow?
while we do have the highest gun ownership rate- we have a rate on firearms murders that doesn't rank high compared to much of the world and one that has been steadily declining.
• The US does not have the worst firearm murder rate - that prize belongs to Honduras, El Salvador and Jamaica. In fact, the US is number 28, with a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 people
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-homicides-ownership-world-list
Violent crimes are way down in the US and murder accounts for only 1.2% of violent crimes
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime/violent-crime
Violent crime rates are now HIGHER in Europe than the US according to a European study
It is well known that the US experienced an unexpected drop in crime rates after 1990. In Europe, on the contrary, crime rates have been on the rise since at least 1970. Contrary to common perceptions, crime is today more widespread in Europe than in the US, while the opposite was true thirty years ago. This fact, which we label the "reversal of misfortunes", is documented in Figures 1-3. Figure 1 shows the dynamics of the total crime rate (crimes of any kind reported to the police per 1,000 inhabitants) in the US and in Europe. In 1970 the aggregate crime rate in the seven European countries we consider was 63% of the corresponding US figure, but by 2007 it was 85% higher than in the US. This striking
reversal results from a steady increase in the total crime rate in Europe during the last 40 years, and the decline in the US rate after 1990. The reversal of misfortunes is also observed for property and violent crimes. Figure 2 documents the trends in the property crime rate. Although in this case Europe and the US have been moving along a common trend since the early 1990s, the European rate in 2007 was still 20% above the US rate, while in 1970 the Europe/US ratio was below 30%
http://www2.dse.unibo.it/zanella/papers/crime-EP.pdf
Obozo is stimulating the economy because of his stupid policies!!!!!! Everyone in America is standing in line waiting to buy a gun!!!! Thank you Obozo!!!
Well at least something helped.