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As the White House considers proposals to curb gun violence, a potential re-upping of the 1990s ban on assault weapons has emerged as the most politically difficult measure for activists hoping to keep the most dangerous weapons out of criminal hands.
But, after pro-gun groups met with Vice President Joe Biden's task force on violence prevention yesterday, at least one participant came away believing that it's a fight that President Barack Obama is willing to try.
Richard Feldman, the president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association said that Biden left the group with the “clear implication” that the president would pursue an assault weapons ban in addition to other regulatory measures.
In naming possible new regulations this week, Biden mentioned universal background checks and restrictions on high-capacity magazines but did not refer specifically to an assault weapon moratorium. The president and his spokespeople have said repeatedly that the administration is in favor of an assault weapons ban.
White House officials say Vice President Joe Biden has offered to speak with families impacted by the Newtown tragedy for their input as he negotiates solutions to gun violence in the U.S. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
Feldman told NBC News said the conversation in the closed-door meeting with gun rights groups was “wide ranging."
“We certainly talked rather extensively about civil commitment laws," he said. "The Attorney General was in the meeting. We talked about enforcement procedures against violations.”
Feldman’s take on the session seemed to be different than the National Rifle Association’s, which came out with a fairly combative statement late in the day indicating that the White House was not open to hearing the concerns of Second Amendment proponents.
“I think that it was a conversation and it wasn't a lecture,” Feldman countered.
When asked about the NRA’s characterization of the meeting, Feldman praised NRA advocate Jim Baker for forcefully voicing the concerns of the nation's most powerful gun group.
"I think the vice president, who knows Jim, listened to them," he added. "But you know, we come at this from different positions.”
The NRA has stated that they’re going to take their argument up to Capitol Hill, something that some experts say could be part of a two-path approach for the gun rights group.
“My guess is what we're going to see is a kind of two-layer game," said Don Kettl, dean of the Public Policy School at the University of Maryland. "For the NRA itself, they've made very clear so far that they're just not interested in anything that remotely involves any effort to try to reduce the availability of guns, or ammunition or any of the other pieces or anything that would restrict the ownership of guns. But behind the scenes I suspect they and some of their lobbyists are going to be working very carefully to try to find ways of at least minimizing, from their point of view, the damage.”
Kettl thinks this could be a defining moment for the group, “Deep down this is one of those line-in-the-sand kind of issues that will be the make or break for the NRA's power. And I suspect we are in the middle of a defining debate in the pubic right now about the role of guns in American society.”
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The real key to preventing these kinds of gun violence tragedies is to finally recognize that the regulation of private firearms needs to be regarded as a state's rights issue. This way enforcement will rest in the hands of the individual states, which are the only legal authority that can properly and effectively screen gun purchasers for the necessary precautions. (The states would still also make the necessary inquiries from the federal government regarding background checks.) - RC
As I read the news stories as with the one posted today where the teens were playing video games in a "Festive Atomsphere" as they had strangled two other kids and dismembered them, I wonder... I am wondering where they kept the ARs and AK47s since they were obviously deranged. The people that focus on weapons here in America and want to disarm the law abiding citizens are not think about the chance that they might encounter some of these fine examples of American Youth in a public place and their own life or the lives of their families are in danger.
I went to the news site for India today to read more about the rash of violent rapes and murders happening in India. There I found a NEWS STORY FROM THE NEW YORK TIME WHERE 3 TEEN AGED BOYS REPEATEDLY RAPED A MENTALLY CHALLENGED GIRL IN A CLASSROOM IN NEW YORK.
The commenters there had some interesting critisisms of America and applied stereo types that the liberals here usually reserve for and non liberal.
MY QUESTION IS WHERE IS THIS NEWS STORY ON OUR INTERNET NEWS SITES?
There is a battle here in America against the constitution that has been going on since the current administration has been in office and they are supported by a liberal, paid for media.
The reason women are being raped, and children are being preyed upon by predators is that the laws have become too leanient in the punishment of these people. Another news story I read on the Indian site was of a convicted murderer and serial child rapist being released from prison for good behavior. He raped and killed another young girl within a week. The cure for this is simple once guilt is assured and proven beyond a doubt, kill the offender and they will never rape of molest a child again.
Criminal laws need to be strengthened and not the political GRANDSTANDING we see on Capital hill where law abiding citizens and their constitutional rights are attacked for personal agendas. Biden is simply fulfilling his boss's agenda that was in place from the beginning. He did not press it before the election for obvious reasons. I would call that fraudulent intent.
Beware when the Government feels so threatened so as to disarm their citizens because it means there are plans to go against the people's rights and values.
Lazarus
Ban all "assault rifles". I'll get mine from the BATFE. Seriously, do you think we will stop buying them or have them even if they were illegal? obama has met his Waterloo. He will expend his efforts and in the mean time bankrupt the country. He is a failed POS who will have a legacy of trying to destroy our great nation and failing because he underestimates the Patriots he is up against. Bring it on big guy.
you sound more like a subversive than a patriot to me....failed POS
President Obama is targeting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens instead of seriously addressing the real underlying causes of such violence.
I only hope Democratic politicians and the Administration remember the route that pushed Democrats out of office the last time they moved to control Americans' right to own arms. I voted for Barack Obama both times and a straight Democratic ticket. But, if I feel my 2nd Amendment rights may be restricted, I will do my part to vote out of office the entire Party ... president included, that attempts to curtail it.
Bad move, gentlemen ...
Thing is that violent crime and gun related deaths have been decreasing over the last decade while at the same time gun ownership has been on the rise.
You can check that with the FBI if you do not believe it.
So if guns kill than should gun related deaths not have gone up along with increased ownership.
President Obama is targeting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens instead of seriously addressing the real underlying causes of such violence.
The VAST majority of Americans STILL think current gun control laws are fine. We just don't enforce them.
I like Chris Rocks idea. Don't ban anything, simply make it so that you must own or lease a home before you can buy Guns or Ammo. You have to take your mortgage or lease papers with you. Few gun crime committed by someone who has a 30 year note. I mean, if thrown in jail, you still have to pay it. Only people who don't have much to live for, decide to shoot it out.
Remember people, 77,000 Americans die from Alcohol. More people die each day from drunk drivers then gun crime even after all the DUI checkpoints and laws against drunk driving.
You start being stupid, ignore statistics, and start "banning" things. The next round will be a Ban on Alcohol sales after 9pm since most DUI occur after that time. Don't be a hypocrite and gripe about gun crime and then ignore all the DUI death and child abuse from drunks that goes on.
If a gun control bill can't be passed we need to do the next best thing. Pass a tax on bullets to cover the cost of security at schools and other target areas. Require liability insurance be carried by every gun ownen including no fault coverage. required nation registration of every gun.
Well, if we are going to go after the guns, because some crazy person might actually get one & hurt somebody, we may as well go after the "drunks" who get behind cars & kill someone too. Might as well make a law, that if you get convicted of drunk driving, we (the government) will need to take your drivers license & car aways from you because you might use it to kill someone.
Since people use guns to kill other people & we want to ban having guns now, we might was well apply the same logic to drunks. If you drink we will take your car away, because you are MUCH MORE LIKELY to go out & kill someone with your car, than a person is with a gun!
Oh wait let's add pot smoking, since we all know that inhibits your reasoning skills. If you are a POT HEAD (i.e. a democraps), we might as well A: either take your pot away, or B: take your car, since again WE ALL KNOW cars kill more person every year than guns do!
If criminals like gang bangers and drug dealers have "assault Weapons" then I want one to protect myself from them.
What sane person wants to put law abiding folks at a disadvantage
An AR-15 will shoot through anything, it all depends on thickness, so will a Abrams A-1 tank, DUH
An AR-15 is not a automatic, it is a semi-automatic. You must pull the trigger everytime you wish to fire each round.
As soon as our government confiscates all weapons from "bad guys" gangs, drug runners, cartels, felons, and generally everyone who uses a gun to do harm to a innocent, non threatening person. Then we can talk about mine. As a benchshooter, I practice at a certified, licensed, insured gun range. The gun range has a range master who supervises those who are using a weapon. Our local and regional law enforcement agencies use the same range. I could be practicing next to one. Oh by the way, I've never seen the paper I shoot at bleed. So what harm am I doing with my Federally registered weapons. Don't lump us who use our weapons in a safe and sane manner in with the "bad guys" who use a gun, a bat, a automobile to do harm. Do you think harsh language will stop a rapist. Think about the safety of you and your family.
Bad guys, gangs, drug runners, cartels, felons with guns are good reasons to keep guns in the hands of the people for self defence, but they are not the best reasons.
We have far more to fear from our government, "our" police, "our" military, "our" national and local "leaders". We the people must keep our guns in order to remain free.
President Obama is targeting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens instead of seriously addressing the real underlying causes of such violence.
Ever notice how the more the conversation takes place, the more the discussion favors those who want reasonable gun restrictions? I have...
Tothose thinking the NRA is about terrorism, think about what Hussien did to Eirc Holder when he pulled the ATF and allowed the stolen guns go across the border and come back to kill a border patrol agent. HUSSIEN allowed that and nothing was done. This was his plan. SO before you idiots start talking about TERRORIST you need to step back and take a look at what is going on. He is not stopping IRAN from BUILDING THE BOMB is he. NOPE that is a MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD COUNTRY. LOL. Dummies.
Keep your guns. Hide them. Hoard ammunition. You will need your guns to fight a government that wants to take freedom from the people. Bury some of your guns in airtight PVC drain pipe sealed on each end. The tubes can be filled with carbon dioxide to inhibit corrosion by putting dry ice at the bottom of the pipe on the sealed end before you seal the other end. A desiccant gel pack can be added to absorb moisture.
The tubes should be buried vertically to produce a small spacial and magnetic profile in order to reduce the chance of detection. You also can use other structures to help disguise the hiding spot, such as adjacent to a metal fence post.
Never give up your weapons, especially your most powerful weapons with military applications. These weapons will be needed to defeat the tyrants in our society. It won't be those cowards that come to take the guns -- they will send proxies.
Regarding the dry ice, let the dry ice melt and force the air out of the tube before you seal the other end.
President Obama is targeting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens instead of seriously addressing the real underlying causes of such violence.
When to give up your guns.
So long as one evil man is armed, all are in danger.
So long as one evil man is armed, all good people must be equally armed to protect their faith, their families and their country.
Therefore;
When every criminal is disarmed;
When every terrorist is disarmed;
When every drug dealer is disarmed;
When every gang member is disarmed;
When every dictator is disarmed;
When every foreign army is disarmed;
When all evil men are evil no more;
When all men truly accept peace and beat their swords into plowshares and learn war no more;
When all men learn to live together in true brotherhood as God intended;
Then and only then will I give up my gun.