Obama Taps Biden to Lead Anti-Violence Effort
Obama Taps Biden to Lead Anti-Violence Effort
President Obama appointed Vice President Biden on Wednesday to lead an effort to develop new policies to combat gun violence.
“We have a deep obligation — all of us — to try” and end gun violence, Obama said at the White House. “This time, the words need to lead to action.”
He added: “It won’t be easy, but that can’t be an excuse not to try.”
This is not “your typical Washington commission,” the president said. He said Biden will complete his work in a month, and that the horror of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting should remain vivid in so short a time.
Obama picked Biden, he said, because of his experience in the Senate, including a major role in the 1994 crime bill that included an assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004.