WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will push to tighten gun laws in response to last week’s schoolhouse massacre in Connecticut, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday, and Speaker John Boehner said the GOP-controlled House would consider the proposals.
Biden, who is overseeing the administration’s response to last Friday’s killing of 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, said he and President Barack Obama are “absolutely committed” to curbing gun violence in the United States.
“Even if we can only save one life, we have to take action,” he said.
A longtime gun-control advocate, Biden met Thursday with Cabinet members and law enforcement officials from around the country. He said he wanted to meet with the group, which included representatives of at least a dozen law enforcement organizations, because they “know better than anyone else what’s needed out there.”
Police chiefs helped develop innovations such as community policing and drug courts, Biden said, and they have a comprehensive view of how to approach gun violence.
Gun-control measures have faced fierce resistance in Congress for years, but that may be changing because of the events in Connecticut, which shocked that nation. After the shooting, Obama signaled for the first time that he’s willing to spend significant political capital on the issue. Some prominent gun-rights advocates on Capitol Hill — Democrats and Republicans alike — have expressed willingness to consider new measures.
Asked if he would allow a vote next year on gun-control legislation, Boehner, R-Ohio, said he and his caucus “join the president in mourning the victims of the horrible tragedy in Connecticut.”
When Biden’s recommendations come forward, Boehner said: “We’ll certainly take them into consideration.”
Obama on Wednesday tapped Biden to lead an informal task force on gun violence and set a January deadline for the recommendations. The group is considering changes such as reinstating a ban on militarystyle assault weapons, closing provisions that let gun buyers skirt background checks and restricting high-capacity ammunition clips.
Beyond firearms’ restrictions, officials also will look for ways to increase mentalhealth resources and consider steps to keep society from glamorizing guns and violence.
Biden said the assaultweapon ban, which expired in 2004, is one thing Congress can do immediately.
On Thursday, the White House said Obama will observe a moment of silence at 8:30 a.m. CST today in honor of the victims of the Connecticut shooting.
Meanwhile, the funerals of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary continued.
A service was held in Katonah, N.Y., for teacher Anne Marie Murphy, 52, who authorities believe helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan compared her to Jesus.
“Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends,” Dolan said.
A single bell tolled Thursday at Newtown’s St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at the funeral for 6-year-old Catherine Hubbard, who her family said would be remembered for her passion for animals and her constant smile.
Trinity Episcopal Church on Newtown’s Main Street was filled to capacity for the funeral of Benjamin Wheeler, 6. The service for a child described as a lighthouse buff, budding musician and Beatles fan included a rendition of “Here Comes The Sun.”
In downtown Danbury, mourners filed into First Congregational Church for a memorial service for teacher Lauren Rousseau. The congregation in the packed church sang “Morning Has Broken” and “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”
Funerals were also scheduled in Connecticut on Thursday for 7-year-old Grace McDonnell and 6-year-olds Jesse Lewis and Allison Wyatt.
In addition to the services, the families of 6-year-old Olivia Rose Engel, behavioral therapist Rachel Marie D’Avino and school psychologist Mary Sherlach had visitations Thursday.
At least nine funerals and wakes were held Wednesday, and more are set for today and Saturday.
Also, an official source in New Hampshire confirmed that a private funeral, attended only by her family in an undisclosed location, had been held Thursday for Nancy Lanza, 52, the mother of Adam Lanza, the killer.
“About 25 family members attended,” said Donald W. Briggs Jr., police chief in Kingston, N.H .
Information for this article was contributed by David Espo, David Klepper, Frederic J. Frommer, Jim Fitzgerald, Christina Rexrode, Helen O’Neill, Eilleen AJ Connelly, Ken Thomas and Tom Hays of The Associated Press; and by Kim Murphy of The Los Angeles Times.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 12/21/2012