The Norman Transcript

Nation/World

Discussion

January 18, 2013

Biden: Nation needs to respond to gun violence problem

By Ken Thomas Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden said the nation could not wait any longer to respond to gun violence, telling mayors on Thursday that the White House would “take this fight to the halls of Congress.”

Biden outlined President Barack Obama’s sweeping proposal, announced Wednesday, during a speech to the United States Conference of Mayors, providing a rationale for a plan that includes a ban on assault weapons, the limiting of high-capacity ammunition magazines and requiring background checks for all gun buyers.

Obama’s proposal, which is the broadest attempt to tighten gun laws in nearly two decades, faces an uncertain future in Congress, where lawmakers have resisted tougher laws in recent years and some members of Congress have responded warily to the president’s plan. But Biden made clear that the White House would push aggressively for the plan following the deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

“We’re going to take this fight to the halls of Congress and we’re going to take it beyond that. We’re going to take it to the American people. We’re going to go around the country making the case,” Biden said, vowing that “this time will not be like the times that have come before.” Biden said he had “no illusions about the fight that is in front of us” about the challenges of passing the gun control measures but said “we have no choice.”

The vice president offered an extensive and detailed explanation of Obama’s proposal, which was at the forefront of discussions at the meeting of the national mayor’s organization. The group has long supported a ban on assault weapons and other forms of gun control.

Biden urged the mayors to push their state legislatures and governors to make records on gun purchases more available to the federal government and defended efforts to limit high-capacity magazines, saying they “leave victims with no chance” and are “not worth the risk.”

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Nation/World
  • Disaster central

    WASHINGTON — Many states get hit frequently with tornadoes and other natural catastrophes, but Oklahoma is Disaster Central. The twister that devastated Moore was the 74th presidential disaster declared in the Sooner state in the past 60 ...

    May 25, 2013

  • I-5 bridge falls into river

    MOUNT VERNON — The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Obama balances threats to America

    WASHINGTON — Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says “America is at a crossroads.” And so, too, is his presidency’s counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Third-grader left school with minutes to spare

    Faces of the storm The Oklahoma medical examiner’s office says it has positively identified all 24 people killed in the tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, including 10 children: Monday’s tornadoes — Terri Long, ...

    May 24, 2013

  • Man fatally shot while questioned in Boston probe

    ORLANDO, Fla. — A Chechen immigrant was shot to death by authorities in central Florida early Wednesday after he turned violent while being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, officials said....

    May 23, 2013

  • More tornadoes from global warming? Nobody knows

    A deadly tornado hit suburban Oklahoma City on Monday. A quick look at some basic facts: Q: Is global warming to blame? A: You can’t blame a single weather event on global warming. In any case, scientists just don’t know whether there will ...

    May 22, 2013

  • Tornado season starts late, but starts nonetheless

    TULSA — Deadly tornadoes that have raked communities in Middle America over the past week, including Monday’s massive twister that carved a path of destruction through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, belie what had been a relatively ...

    May 21, 2013

  • Israeli seeks interim deal with Palestinians

    JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement....

    May 20, 2013

  • Syrian troops push into town

    BEIRUT — Syrian troops pushed into a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border on Sunday, fighting house-to-house and bombing from the air as President Bashar Assad tried to strengthen his grip on a strategic strip of land running from the ...

    May 20, 2013

  • Fate of Los Angeles marijuana shops left to voters

    LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles politicians have struggled for more than five years to regulate medical marijuana, trying to balance the needs of the sick against neighborhood concerns that pot shops attract crime. Voters will head to the polls ...

    May 20, 2013