US will have a set of recommendations to address widespread gun violence in about a month, US President Barack Obama has announced and expressed hope that the country’s powerful pro-gun lobby will do some “self-reflection” and help in gun control laws.
Obama said that Vice-President Joe Biden would lead the effort to come out with specific proposals to bring this shooting culture to an end.
“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, and come up with a concrete set of recommendations in about a month,” he said.
“As soon as we get those recommendations, I will be putting forward very specific proposals. I will be talking about them in my State of The Union and we will be working with interested members of Congress to try to get some of them done,” Obama said.
Obama said that the National Rifle Association, which leads the pro-gun lobby in the United States, “has members who are mothers and fathers” likely impacted by the Connecticut school shooting that killed 20 young children.
“And hopefully they’ll do some self-reflection,” Obama said.
“I have more confidence in the parents, the mothers and fathers that I’ve been meeting over the last several days all across the country from all political persuasions, including a lot of gun owners, who say, you know what, this time we’ve got to do things differently,” he said.
Obama said any single gun law can’t solve all these problems.
“We’re going to have to look at mental health issues.
We’re going to have to look at schools. There are going to be a whole range of things that Joe’s group looks at. We know that issues of gun safety will be an element of it. And what we’ve seen over the last 20 years, 15 years, is the sense that anything related to guns is somehow an encroachment on the Second Amendment,” he said.
According to a White House official Biden will continue the Administration’s work to develop policy proposals as part of its response to Newtown and other tragedies.
“The Vice President will meet with law enforcement leaders from across the country who are on the front-lines every day protecting our communities to discuss an effective path forward,” the official said.
Biden will be joined by White House officials as well as Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, the White House official said.