Joe Biden meets games companies as gun control task-force readies proposals
Vice-president meets makers of Call of Duty and Medal of Honor after meeting advocates of gun control and gun rights
Matt Williams in New York
guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 January 2013 17.59 EST
A copy of Medal of Honor Warfighter in the window of a Brooklyn gaming store. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Vice-president Joe Biden said on Friday that there was no "silver bullet" to solve America's gun problem, but that he hoped to present a broad package of recommendations early next week.
On the final day of talks at the White House, Biden met executives from the video games industry, reassuring them that he held "no judgment" and that the sector was not being "singled out". Representatives of the companies behind the popular Call of Duty and Medal of Honor franchises – Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts – were summoned amid suggestions that violence on screens may be reflected in real life crime.
In comments accompanying the meeting, Biden raised the question of whether there had been a "coarsening" of American culture in general. "I do not know the answer to that question," he said.
In the aftermath of last month's school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut – in which 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook elementary – Biden was instructed by president Barack Obama to form a taskforce to look into measures that could be introduced to crack down on gun violence. He is due to present his findings to Obama early next week. "I'm shooting for Tuesday. I hope I get it done by then," Biden said on Friday.
It is understood that Biden's taskforce is considering a broad package of policies, which could include universal background checks on gun ownership, a clampdown on gun-show loopholes and a potential ban on high-capacity magazines and assault rifles.
Whatever the proposals turn out to be, it is likely they will be opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Anticipating a renewed fight on the issue of ownership rights, the NRA hit out at Biden after meeting him on Thursday, accusing the vice-president of having "an agenda to attack the second amendment".
"We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen," said an NRA spokesman. On Friday, Biden said he believed his meeting with the NRA and other pro-gun organisations had been "very straightforward, productive".
The main gun control advocacy group, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, released its policy recommendations on Friday – two days after it met Biden. The proposals include a priority of closing a loophole that allows 40% of gun sales to take place without background checks, as well as limiting the availability of high-capacity ammunition magazines and military-style weapons "designed for mass killing".
Dan Gross, the Brady Campaign president, said: "We believe in the approach by the vice-president. There is no one answer to preventing gun violence. It is a complex problem that deserves a comprehensive set of solutions."
Vice-president meets makers of Call of Duty and Medal of Honor after meeting advocates of gun control and gun rights
Matt Williams in New York
guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 January 2013 17.59 EST
A copy of Medal of Honor Warfighter in the window of a Brooklyn gaming store. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Vice-president Joe Biden said on Friday that there was no "silver bullet" to solve America's gun problem, but that he hoped to present a broad package of recommendations early next week.
On the final day of talks at the White House, Biden met executives from the video games industry, reassuring them that he held "no judgment" and that the sector was not being "singled out". Representatives of the companies behind the popular Call of Duty and Medal of Honor franchises – Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts – were summoned amid suggestions that violence on screens may be reflected in real life crime.
In comments accompanying the meeting, Biden raised the question of whether there had been a "coarsening" of American culture in general. "I do not know the answer to that question," he said.
In the aftermath of last month's school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut – in which 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook elementary – Biden was instructed by president Barack Obama to form a taskforce to look into measures that could be introduced to crack down on gun violence. He is due to present his findings to Obama early next week. "I'm shooting for Tuesday. I hope I get it done by then," Biden said on Friday.
It is understood that Biden's taskforce is considering a broad package of policies, which could include universal background checks on gun ownership, a clampdown on gun-show loopholes and a potential ban on high-capacity magazines and assault rifles.
Whatever the proposals turn out to be, it is likely they will be opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Anticipating a renewed fight on the issue of ownership rights, the NRA hit out at Biden after meeting him on Thursday, accusing the vice-president of having "an agenda to attack the second amendment".
"We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen," said an NRA spokesman. On Friday, Biden said he believed his meeting with the NRA and other pro-gun organisations had been "very straightforward, productive".
The main gun control advocacy group, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, released its policy recommendations on Friday – two days after it met Biden. The proposals include a priority of closing a loophole that allows 40% of gun sales to take place without background checks, as well as limiting the availability of high-capacity ammunition magazines and military-style weapons "designed for mass killing".
Dan Gross, the Brady Campaign president, said: "We believe in the approach by the vice-president. There is no one answer to preventing gun violence. It is a complex problem that deserves a comprehensive set of solutions."
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