The New York Times reported Friday that the White House had calculated that an assault weapons ban would be exceedingly difficult to pass. The newspaper pointed to Thursday's remarks by Vice President Biden, who is leading the administration's task force on gun violence. Biden spoke publicly for 15 minutes and mentioned several proposals that could become part of the administration's legislative agenda — including a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines and universal background checks — but did not mention the assault weapons ban.
"That report is false," Lehrich said in a statement Friday morning. "Like I told the Times, the President has been clear that Congress should reinstate the assault weapons ban and that avoiding this issue just because it's been politically difficult in the past is not an option. He's also stressed that no single piece of legislation alone can solve this problem, which is why he has asked Vice President Biden to explore a wide array of proposals on topics ranging from gun laws to mental health to school safety."
Opening a meeting Friday afternoon with representatives of the video game industry, Biden said, "We know there is no silver bullet" to prevent tragedies such as last month's elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 small children and six adults. "We know this is a complex problem."
Biden said he came to the meeting "with no judgment" on the role of video games in possibly encouraging gun violence. "You all know the judgment other people have made," he added. The government is "looking for help" in addressing the problem, he told the video game makers. "We're anxious to see if there is anything you can suggest to us."
He said the country has a "problem beyond quote-unquote massacres" and noted that "there's 10,000 people a year gunned down in our cities."
Asked by a reporter about his session Thursday with the NRA and other gun rights groups, Biden said, "I thought we had a very straightforward, productive meeting." He declined to comment on what was said at the meeting.
The NRA condemned Biden's task force after Thursday's session, lashing out at what it called the Obama administration's "agenda to attack the Second Amendment" and indicating that the group would have nothing more to do with the task force.
Obama has publicly said he supports banning assault weapons, as well as requiring universal background checks for all gun sales and prohibiting high-capacity ammunition magazines. And his administration is reviewing other proposals, including mental health and school safety initiatives, as part of a comprehensive agenda.
The gun industry has long opposed an assault weapons ban in particular, and that measure is likely to face high hurdles in Congress. For many years, most Republicans and some Democrats have blocked efforts to ban assault weapons. Some now say, however, that the political climate has changed in the wake of the Newtown massacre.
The federal assault weapons ban, which prohibited the manufacture for civilian use of 19 models of semiautomatic weapons, including certain rifles and shotguns, passed in 1994 and expired in 2004.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) plans to introduce legislation this month to reinstate and stiffen the assault weapons ban. Her proposal would expand the classification of assault weapons, banning the sale and manufacture of about 120 firearms, including semiautomatic rifles and military-style pistols.
Obama has said he supports Feinstein's efforts, although it is unclear whether he would throw his weight behind her bill or push a different assault weapons ban.
William Branigin contributed to this report.
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