WASHINGTON — Pledging swift action to curb gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden said he would deliver new policy proposals to President Barack Obama by Tuesday.
Biden said that while he had not finalized his recommendations, a consensus was emerging over banning assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as tightening background checks.
Some of those measures are likely to face opposition from some pro-gun groups, most notably the powerful National Rifle Association. A representative from the NRA was scheduled to meet with Biden Thursday afternoon.
Obama, spurred by the horrific shooting of school children in Newtown, Conn., appointed Biden to lead a task force on preventing gun violence. He set a late January deadline for the group’s recommendations, which he pledged to act on swiftly.
The vice president said Thursday that while no recommendations would eliminate all future mass shootings, “there has got to be some common ground, to not solve every problem but diminish the probability.”
Biden was also meeting Thursday with sportsmen and wildlife organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, the Outdoor Industry Association and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as well as the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Firearms Import/Export Roundtable.
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest firearms seller, will meet separately with Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday along with other retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
