President Barack Obama appointed Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task force to find ways to reduce gun violence in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., that claimed the lives of 26 people, including 20 young children at Shady Hook Elementary School.
The Biden task force is expected to look not only at gun control proposals, but also focus on mental health and cultural issues.
Obama recognized the difficult debate to come over the Second Amendment right to gun ownership, but he also endorsed congressional proposals to reinstate the ban on military assault rifles and a growing consensus to ban large-volume ammunition magazines and clips.
“We may never know all the reasons why this tragedy happened,” Obama said of the Newtown shootings.
“We do know that every day since, more Americans have died of gun violence,” Obama said, at the White House, adding; “And if there is even one thing that we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation – all of us – to try.”