Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday he plans to deliver recommendations for reducing gun violence to President Obama in just five days—and he added a bit more detail to what those measures might include.
Before meeting with gun rights advocates, Biden, who’s leading the White House task force on gun violence, mentioned closing the gun show loophole, conducting universal background checks during private gun sales, and banning high-capacity magazines, according to a White House poll report.
“I’ve never heard so much talk about high-capacity magazines” as during recent meetings, Biden said. The perpetrators of last month’s Newtown, Conn. shootings, and 2011’s Tucson shootings used such magazines, which allow the gunman to fire multiple rounds without reloading.
Closing the gun show loophole would ensure that people who buy guns at gun shows undergo a background check, just as is required for people who buy guns at gun stores. But requiring universal background checks for any private purchase would go a step further.
Gun rights supporters have already signaled their opposition to all the measures Biden mentioned.
Biden also said he had “committed” to Obama to provide his recommendations by Tuesday. The administration has said it plans to offer finalized legislation by the start of February. It’s moving fast in order to seize on public concern over gun violence in the wake of Newtown.
Wednesday, Biden said the administration may also seek to address gun violence via executive orders, which would allow it to sidestep Congress. And he hinted that it could pursue a strategy in which it offers several separate gun control measures, rather than wrapping everything into a comprehensive bill.
Zachary Roth