Joe Biden On Gun Control: 'Simply Unacceptable' To Let Politics Prevent Action

LEESBURG, Va. -- Vice President Joe Biden urged House Democrats on Wednesday not to fear gun-control legislation that may appear politically risky, arguing that public opinion has changed dramatically since an assault weapons ban was first passed in 1994.

Biden, keynote speaker on the first evening of the House Democratic Issues Conference, touched on themes he has raised in other venues while fulfilling his duties as the chair of President Barack Obama's task force on gun violence prevention. He reiterated the administration's gun control agenda, unveiled last month in response to December's elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., which includes bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, and expanding background checks, mental health services, and federal laws against gun trafficking.

Biden invoked the slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School, at one point choking up as he told of the 20 children, ages 6 and 7, who perished after being "literally riddled with bullet holes." He argued that the U.S. government has an obligation to the families and victims of the massacre to act.

"I can't imagine how [the parents] deal with it," Biden said. "But I can imagine how we will be judged as individuals, judged as a Congress, judged as a nation, if we do not. ... It's simply unacceptable."

At the heart of Biden's speech was a plea to Democrats who may be weighing political consequences of backing contentious pieces of gun-control legislation, such as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Biden's message -- delivered with his signature passion, growing louder as he argued for urgency -- was that public opinion had shifted.

"The ability, because of all this happening, to misrepresent our positions no longer exists as it did in 1994," Biden said. "The world has changed. The American public has changed.

"You can go into areas you're told you can't go and politically survive," he said. "I'm telling you, the times have changed."

Democrats looked ready to fight. They applauded Biden as he repeated unwavering support for reforms by he and Obama. As Biden noted a staggering 1,600 killed by gun violence in the 54 days since Newtown, some members looked down at their plates or shook their heads.

Gun control hearings have begun on Capitol Hill. More than 125 House Democrats have signed legislation that would prohibit the manufacturing of high-capacity magazines. Biden reminded Democrats to maintain hope in the uphill battle mustering legislation through both chambers of a divided Congress.

"Don't tell me, 'Because we can't solve it all, we can't act at all,'" Biden said.

-- Elise Foley contributed reporting.

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Joe Biden Talks Violent Video Games With Industry Reps In Wake Of Newtown Shooting

The perennial controversy over violent video games was again a topic of discussion at the White House on Friday, where Vice President Joe Biden met with representatives of the video game industry as part of his effort to find legislative remedies to the problems associated with gun violence.

Entertainment Software Association CEO Mike Gallagher and other video game industry representatives were scheduled to meet with President Obama's gun violence task force on Friday, the Hill reports. The committee, led by Biden, is getting ready to release its recommendations next week.

The Entertainment Software Association is a lobbying group for a number of major companies, including Electronic Arts and Microsoft. These companies' products -- "Call of Duty," "Halo" and other "first-person shooter" games -- have come under criticism in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. massacre last month. It has been widely reported that the killer, Adam Lanza, was "obsessed" with video games, and police found thousands of dollars worth of violent video games while searching his house.

One of the most prominent critics of the video game industry is the gun industry. In a press conference last month, Wayne LaPierre, president of the NRA, criticized the media for ignoring "a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people ... through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse."

Despite the source of this criticism, violent video games appear to benefit the firearms business. Robert Farago, a gun-rights supporter and the founder and publisher of The Truth About Guns, a web site aimed at examining "the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns," spoke to The Huffington Post last month about the relationship. "Video games are the most effective advertisements there are for firearms," Farago said.

Several gaming sites have equated the practice of portraying authentic guns in video games as "product placement."

Gun enthusiasts certainly haven't been alone in raising objections to the prevalence of violence in video games. In recent weeks, lawmakers and media watchdogs have called for studies into the effects of violent games on children and for tighter regulation of the industry. James P. Steyer, the founder of Common Sense Media, wrote a letter to Biden suggesting that the Federal Trade Commision require the gun industry to "explicitly reveal all product placements and other marketing practices and tie-in with the video game industry," as well as taking steps to cut down on children's exposure to violent videogame commercials.

But in his own letter to Biden, Mark Fisher, the interim president of the Entertainment Merchants Association, a Los Angeles-based trade group, dismissed the idea that video games contribute to violent behavior and questioned whether anything could be done to regulate violent video games anyway.

Fisher noted that video games already carry voluntary age advisories in the form of ratings including "Mature" (M), which suggests that the games are "suitable for person age 17 and over," and "Adult Only," which signifies that the games have content that "should only be played by person 18 or over." And he cited a recent Federal Trade Commission report asserting that video game retailers enforce the ratings "most vigorously."

He also mentioned several studies that mainly attribute youth violence to other factors, although at least one of them -- a 2001 report by the U.S. Surgeon General –- acknowledges that video game violence may have a "small average effect" on physical aggression.

Finally, Fisher brought up a bill introduced by State Sen. Leland Yee (D- Calif.) in 2005, which sought to regulate the voluntary age-advisory system. That law went to the Supreme Court, where it was overturned on First Amendment grounds. "Any attempt to legally restrict the sale or rental to minors of entertainment containing depictions of violence will likely be found to be unconstitutional," he wrote.

Yee, who has also introduced several recent bills aimed at restricting ownership of semi-automatic weapons, told The Huffington Post that he agreed with this prognosis. "There's not a whole lot that we can do on a legislative level," he said. "The responsibility really falls on the violent video game industry."

He recommended that the industry step up its own efforts to ensure that retailers abide by age advisories, and suggested that an "Adult Only" rating be given to many games that are currently labeled "Mature."

But he conceded that the industry isn't exactly clamoring for that chance to do that. "If you do that," Yee said, "the market for buying those games becomes very, very small."

The objections to gun control and to the regulation of violent video games have at least one thing in common, he argued: "It's about money."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the name and location of the Entertainment Merchants Association, which is based in Los Angeles.

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NRA, Joe Biden To Meet As Vice President's Task Force On Guns Intensifies Efforts

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joseph Biden will be sending his recommendations for gun policy reform to the president in a matter of weeks, according to administration officials.

The recommendations are still being crafted. As part of the process, Biden will be speaking with key lawmakers, officials and stakeholders in the debate, including the National Rifle Association, an NRA official confirmed.

All told, the plan is for the president to introduce a "concrete package of proposals" by the end of January, an administration official told The Huffington Post. President Barack Obama will call for action on his proposal "without delay" shortly after he announces it.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that the vice president's office was looking at a wide range of reforms in search of a proper response to the shooting deaths of 20 first-graders and seven adults in Newtown, Conn. Those potential reforms included bans on certain firearms and magazines, a more expansive federal database on gun purchases and violence and a more comprehensive background check process for those seeking to buy firearms.

This week, Biden and other members of the president's Cabinet will hold several meetings to receive final input. According to an administration official, who shared plans on condition of anonymity Biden "will meet with victims’ groups and gun safety organizations" on Wednesday. On Thursday, meanwhile, he "will hold meetings with advocates for sportsmen and women and gun ownership groups."

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told The Huffington Post that the lobbying group, which has recommended placing armed officials in schools as a protective measure, "will have a rep there."

The NRA's participation in the process sets this effort apart from past (more limited) attempts by the White House to respond to gun violence. It's unlikely that the NRA will support any proposal that involves limiting access to firearms. But its inclusion in the discussion does allow the White House to say it consulted a wide swath of stakeholders in the debate.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was coy when asked to address what role the NRA would play in these discussions. He noted that Obama had previously expressed skepticism at the idea that placing armed guards in schools would be an appropriate response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. But, he added, "the process is ongoing. The vice president has had several meetings and conversations so far and he will have many more before presenting his recommendations to the president."

In addition to the NRA, Biden will also meet with representatives from the entertainment and video game industries and hold conference calls with elected officials as part of his commission. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, meanwhile, will meet with parent, teacher and education groups, while Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will meet with mental health and disability advocates.

"[The president] expected and had asked the vice president to report back to him this month. I think that demonstrates the speed with which the president hopes to act," said Carney. "He is mindful of the need to act. He is also mindful of the need to have a process in place ... that allows for the consideration of a variety of ideas."

UPDATE: 3:15 p.m. -- Arulanandam later told HuffPost that James J. Baker, the director of federal relations for the NRA's lobbying arm, will be representing the NRA in Thursday's meeting with Biden.

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