Report: Biden Panel on Gun Violence Preparing Major Recommendations
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ABC News(WASHINGTON) — The group assigned by President Obama to figure out ways of reducing gun violence in the wake of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., could go far beyond just recommending that an assault weapons ban be reinstated.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the Vice President Joe Biden-led commission is seriously considering universal background checks for all who purchase guns as well as establishing a database that would track the movement and sale of firearms.
Should the Biden Group follow through on these plans, they certainly would be met with tough opposition from the National Rifle Association and the organization’s supporters in Congress.
However, the White House and those calling for more dramatic efforts to reduce the incidents of gun violence in the nation realize that time is of the essence as the memory of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School starts to fade from the public consciousness, so these recommendations may be forthcoming in short order.
Anticipating a fight from the NRA, the Post reports the administration might seek support from large gun retailers such as Walmart along with using New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, perhaps the nation’s leading voice to boost gun control law, as its surrogate to sell the commission’s ultimate plan.
The Biden Group is also expected to call for more stringent mental health checks on certain gun buyers along with toughening penalties on anyone who carries a firearm near a school or who passes along a weapon to a minor.
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