White House working with Bloomberg aides on broad package of gun-violence initiatives

Skooter reports 01/08/13

The White House and the aides to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are working on a broader package of gun-violence initiatives than an assault weapons ban and high-capacity ammunition clips, a report said.

Vice President Joe Biden is the head of a White House working group is looking at requiring universal background checks for gun buyers, tracing the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, intensifying mental health checks and toughening penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors, sources told the press.

President Obama created the in-house task force in the wake of last month’s massacre of 20 children and six adults in a Newtown, Conn. elementary school. Obama has required that by the end of the month, the working group shall present the package of recommendations to him.

The key national laws enforcement group leaders have the support of the proposals, and Bloomberg has been one of the nation’s most candid gun-control advocates, the paper said.

The White House is taking into consideration to working around the National Rifle Association with retailers to promote the ideas, such as Wal-Mart that would benefit their businesses, the paper said. Obama have it in mind to lead a public relations campaign to sell the ideas once the proposals are set, according to the paper.

NYP