Joe Biden's Office Joins Gun Policy Discussions

[RamboLiberal]

With the Obama administration gearing up for its first attempt at reforming federal gun policy, Vice President Joe Biden’s office has begun assuming more of an active role.

Aides to the vice president were present at a 90-minute meeting that the Department of Justice hosted with gun control advocates on Tuesday, administration officials said. And while those officials stressed Biden’s involvement in the gun policy discussion was still very much in its beginning stages -- “at this point, we are just gathering ideas from people,” said an administration official, “and involved in that” -- those in attendance were pleased to see Biden emissaries at the table, interpreting it as a sign of seriousness on the administration’s behalf.

“We have had other meetings with folks at justice and meetings with other people in the administration,” said one attendee. “This was the most thorough engagement we have had to date.”

The vice president, after all, was the lawmaker most closely associated with the last major congressional effort to refigure Second Amendment rights. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was written, in large part, by then-senator Biden. It included major curbs on assault weapons, not only barring the manufacturing of 19 different brands of firearms, but also outlawing the possession of newly manufactured high-capacity magazines.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/17/joe-biden-gun-policy-discussion_n_837067.html

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. The anti-Cheney.

As per effectiveness.

[GreenStormCloud]

2. I have a BAAAAAD feeling about this.

Biden is anti-gun and if the anti-gun people are please then we may be in for another beating at the polls in 2012.

[right2bfree]

8. You mean all that big talk about owning the Congress was a like by the Right in 2010??

Yes, this time it will be a permanent assault weapons ban for you oh-so "law-abiding" (yeah, right) gun-folks in 2012!

[rl6214]

11. I'll bet one of my evil black rifles against the value of on

about $900 that there will be no new assault weapon ban. If I lose, I give you one of my ar15s and $900, you lose you give me $900 and I'll get another one. How about it, you on?

[GreenStormCloud]

14. Not a chance.

Over 50% of the House and Senate have an NRA "A" rating. After the beating of 1994 over guns many Democrats will run from a new AWB.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. This is the price of the NRA giving Obama the middle finger.

I've already sent bitchy e-mails to LaPierre, but guarantee he'll never read them.

[right2bfree]

9. The NRA knows that we need to crack down on all mentally-ill firearms owners, so as long as you ....

..are not one of them, you have nothing to fear.

[DonP]

13. You're right - the issue will come from the ACLU not the NRA

The question of what constitutes adequate mental illness to deny the constitutional right.

The standard now is involuntary commitment. Where do you propose we draw the new and ""better" line? Temporary ban for the prescription of anti depressants? PTSD diagnosis? Post Partum depression? 1st bi=polar diagnosis?

Who decides which medical records are submitted to the NICS system for denial, the FBI, the AMA, you?

I'm guessing the ACLU will have a lot to say about government accessing medical mental health records.

[X_Digger]

4. Headed for the toilet if Biden's involved. n/t

[spin]

5. I wonder if Obama plans to delegate gun control to Biden ...

because Biden will purpose draconian gun control laws and consequently take the heat. In the end none of the wild anti-RKBA schemes proposed by the Brady Campaign and other anti-RKBA groups will pass the House and Biden will take the blame.

Obama will then push for improving the NICS background check system by forcing the states to input data on those with criminal and adjudged serious mental conditions in a far more timely manner. This compromise will not anger gun owners as most favor the NICS background check. Obama will not be viewed as being opposed to the Second Amendment but as a moderate on the issue. The extreme anti-RKBA wing of the Democratic Party will be disappointed but will not so disappointed over this issue that they will refuse to turn out in the next Presidential election.

In my opinion, the NRA is making a serious mistake if they don't participate in the talks. They need to step up to the plate and defend our rights to own and carry firearms. Gun owners have no reason to fear any arguments that those who oppose firearms can present. The statistics and facts are on our side.

[rl6214]

7. The only thing with Biden taking part and potentially the lead

Is that as a strong proponent of the AWB and strong gun control in general, Biden will want tougher and tougher gun control laws. The NRA will oppose him. The NRA will want concessions made and will want some of the laws relaxed or a nationwide concealed carry law. Biden will oppose this.

The NRA has momentum on their side with lawsuits going their way and more and more states going green. They have nothing to gain by going to these meetings and can only look bad if they do attend by opposing new laws that are only feel good laws anyway.

[right2bfree]

10. As long as ypun havent been treated for mental illness, why all the fuss about nothing? Your guns

will still be there, as long as you are not a threat to society.

[one-eyed fat man]

12. Define mental illness

A certain Congresswoman from Long Island has proposed that every returning combat veteran be routinely defined as suffering from mental illness. She wanted all military and VA medical records for PTSD screening included in NICS.

Nice back door slap at soldiers as all, let me emphasize all, soldiers returning from deployments must undergo mandatory PTSD counseling and screening.

Is her rationale that soldiers are some how more likely to shoot people on the basis that the novelty has worn off?

I am all for crazy people not having access to guns, but who defines crazy? There are a ton of folks who post here who would gleefully put any 11 year old kid who drew a stick figures with guns on that list.

Who takes the blame for the lunatics who go along unreported for years until they shoot up a bunch of people in a supermarket parking lot? Then all of the friends and family of the lunatic are all over TV telling everyone how, when the news first broke, they just knew it was him ?

[Hoopla Phil]

6. It seems the NRA was exactly right in not sitting down with this conference.

They saw this coming and declined to participate from the get go.

[aikoaiko]

15. Why not ask Rick Warren to help lead a White House discussion on gay rights.

Joe will screw this up royally. What a set up for disaster.

[Katya Mullethov]

16. It will be epic

There will be demotivationals , sound bite clips , auto-tuned diarrhea of the mouth , there -will- be - memes . And to think that all they wanna do is borrow my tools , if only they had the balls to walk in here and ask ME .

My state rep made that mistake...... ONCE !!