WASHINGTON???President Barack Obama declared on Wednesday that he would make gun control a "central issue" as he opens his second term, promising to submit broad new firearm proposals to Congress no later than January and to employ the full power of his office to overcome deep-seated political resistance.
Leading House Republicans responded to Obama's pledge in the aftermath of the Connecticut school massacre by restating their opposition to enacting new limits on guns or ammunition, setting up the possibility of a bitter legislative battle and a philosophical clash over the Second Amendment soon after Obama's inauguration.
"This time, the words need to lead to action," Obama said. "I will use all the powers of this office to help advance efforts aimed at preventing more tragedies like this."
Having avoided a politically fraught debate over guns for four years, Obama vowed to restart a national conversation about their role in American society, the need for better access to mental-health services and the effect of exceedingly violent images in the nation's culture.
He warned that the conversation ? which has often produced little serious change after previous mass shootings ? will be a short one, followed by specific legislative proposals that he intends to campaign for, starting with his State of the Union address next month.
Biden to lead effort
At an appearance in the White House briefing room, the president said that he had directed Vice President Joe Biden to lead an interagency effort to develop what the White House said would be a multifaceted approach to preventing mass shootings like the one in Newtown, Conn., last week and the many other gun deaths that occur each year.
As evidence of the cost of gun violence, Obama said that since Friday's school shooting in Connecticut, guns had led to the deaths of police officers in Memphis and Topeka, Kan.; a woman in Las Vegas; three people in an Alabama hospital; and a 4-year-old in a drive-by shooting in Missouri. They are, he said, victims of "violence that we cannot accept as routine."
With Biden at his side, the president signaled his support for new limits on high-capacity magazine and assault-style weapons, as well as a desire to close regulatory loopholes at gun shows. He promised to confront the pro-gun sentiment in Congress that has for years blocked gun control measures.
That opposition shows little signs of fading away. There has been little indication that Republicans who control the House ? and are in a standoff with Obama over taxes ? are willing to accept such restrictions.
DeGette pushes ban
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, is pushing a bill that would ban high-capacity ammunition magazines similar to the ones used in the Connecticut and Aurora shootings. She is urging House Speaker John Boehner to put the bill on the floor, saying the legislation has 140 co-sponsors and she thinks it would pass.
"Every single American who cares about this issue needs to pick up the phone and call their member of Congress and ask them where they stand," she said in a news conference Wednesday.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, an influential conservative leader, said in a statement that "it is clear that criminals will always find ways to acquire weapons and use them to commit acts of violence."
"Passing more restrictions on law-abiding citizens will not deter this type of crime," he said.
One senior Republican, Rep. James F. Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, signaled an openness to review Obama's proposals.
"As the president said, no set of laws will prevent every future horrific act of violence or eliminate evil from our society, but we can do better," Sensenbrenner said in an e-mailed response to questions.
He noted that he had co-sponsored the Brady gun control bill in the 1990s. "Our country must also grapple with difficult questions about the identification and care of individuals with mental illnesses," he said.
On Wednesday, Obama said that Biden's group would propose laws and actions in January and that those would be "proposals that I then intend to push without delay."
"Not some commission"
Obama said Biden's effort was "not some Washington commission" that would take six months and produce a report that was shelved.
"I urge the new Congress to hold votes on these new measures next year, in a timely manner," Obama said.
White House aides said Biden would meet with law enforcement officials from across the country Thursday, along with Cabinet officials from the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Education and Health and Human Services.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York praised Obama's announcement and said he offered his "full support" to Biden.
Gun control advocates have urged the White House and lawmakers to move rapidly to enact new gun control measures before the killings in Connecticut fade from the public's consciousness. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she intends to introduce a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines on the first day of the next Congress in January.
During his first term, Obama largely avoided the issue of gun control, even as high-capacity firearms were used in several mass shootings. Asked about his lack of past action on the issue, the president appeared irritated, citing the economic crisis, the collapse of the auto industry and two wars as matters that demanded attention.
"I don't think I've been on vacation," he said curtly.
He then conceded, "All of us have to do some reflection on how we prioritize what we do here in Washington."
Denver Post staff writer Jeremy Meyer contributed to this report.
President Obama's gun-control proposals
First proposals
Other ideas
Obama assigned Vice President Joe Biden to lead an effort to come up with other concrete proposals, due no later than January. In addition to gun restrictions, Obama said Biden would consider how to:
The Associated Press
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