NRA will participate in White House gun violence meetings
Washington (CNN) – A representative of the National Rifle Association will participate in a meeting this week with Vice President Joe Biden's gun violence task force, a spokesman for the gun lobbyist said on Tuesday.
Spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the group received an invitation on late Friday to participate and that "We are sending a rep to hear what they have to say." The NRA said James J. Baker, the director of federal relations for NRA's Institute of Legislative Action, would be representing the group at the White House.
Another major gun rights group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will also participate in the meetings, which are slated for Wednesday and Thursday. The NSSF is based in Newtown, Connecticut, the site of last month's deadly shooting at an elementary school that sparked the creation of Biden's panel.
The NSSF said it welcomed the opportunity to become part of a "full national conversation" to protect children and communities from violence.
Days after the massacre in Newtown, President Barack Obama appointed Biden to lead the panel that will provide recommendations to prevent another mass shooting. The president gave the group a deadline of "no later than January."
Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday that Biden's panel was "engaging a variety of stakeholders – organizations and individuals - to look broadly at the problem of gun violence in America and to consider actions that could be taken at legislative level and elsewhere."
While Obama himself said during an interview on "Meet the Press" that he was skeptical of the NRA's proposal to put armed guards in schools, Carney said the president "doesn't want to prejudge any recommendations that any stakeholder may present."
A senior administration official said Tuesday that Biden would hold meetings this week with victims' advocacy groups and gun safety organizations, as well as with groups representing gun owners. The official added the vice president would meet with representatives of the entertainment and video game industries.
Those meetings will result in a package of recommendations to be presented to Obama, the official said. The president will then announce which of those proposals he'll push.
CNN's Brianna Keilar and Dan Lothian contributed to this report.
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Is the NRA attending as a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, or as a lobbying body for the gun industry-interested only in the uninhibited sales of weapons?
The NRA clearly hasn't gotten the message. They're entire solution is to put more guns into the population. Anything for a profit. If the NRA isn't considering limiting magazie capacity, then they can't be taken seriously.
Well, will miracles never cease? LaPierre said they would not participate: wonder if he had a dream in which the ghost of Charlton Heston came back to tell him he needed to repent?
Ain't that like letting the fox in the hen house?
Well this ought to be good. I can see Biden and the rest of the crew and Feinstein in the shadows all covering their ears yelling "LA LA LA we can't hear you!" when the NRA or NSSF reps. speak.
Someone needs to tell the NRA that other Americans have rights too. We have the right to live in this country without fear of unstable people getting their hands on Assault Rifles & pistols with 30 shot clips. It's called BALANCE. Balance their Second Amendment Rights with the Rights of the Non-NRA Public.
"NRA will participate in White House gun violence meetings"
No they won't. They'll go. They'll attend. Then they'll do what the GOP/Teatrolls do: walk away from the table as soon as anyone starts saying anything they don't want to hear...then flip the on-switch for their pre-prepared PR Media blitz that accuses everyone of ridiculous, conspiracy-theory type nonsense and demagogues the "new world order" and "our slide into a socialist dictatorship" and other such completely delusional fabrications. BLACK HELICOPTERS!!! BLACK HELICOPTERS DERP DERP DERP!!!!
There are around 100,000 public schools in the United States, some of them so large that a couple classrooms of kids could be taken down with an AR-15 before the "armed guard" could even get on the scene. And once they do, if they don't take the attacker out quick (and assuming they don't get killed, themselves) the attacker has huge hostage potential.
When I went to school we didn't even need a fence around it. Now the only way to really safeguard our kids is to put prison-style fencing around them with metal detectors on the few controlled entrances. What's this country coming to?
The truth is that the NRA is coming to SPY and SUBVERT. Go through the motions and allow them to participate and then the REAL MEETING.
As James Earl Jones said in CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER about Cia Deputy Director Ritter, "Watch him like a Hawk"! Watch the NRA.
Duh. Of course they will be there. But are they coming because it would be a PR nightmare if it leaked out that they turned down the invitation, or do they really care?
I'm going with the former, even huge lobbyists like the NRA have to closely monitor their public image.
you mean they do not have anything to offer, ideas etc.?
sounds like they are attending to block ideas.
Of course having armed police officers in every school is the best idea, a police officer can protect the children and school staff from an armed criminal as well as child molester, pedophile, drug dealers, any other crime a criminal wants to bring upon children or staff.
NRA is the biggest nonsense just like Fox, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann coulter the wich, koches, Adultryson, Lindsey graham etc. drive them out. Nation needs GUN-BAN LAWS. Period.
People in Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain watch the same movies and play the same video games, yet they do not have the levels of gun violence. What's the most obvious difference between them and the US? They have far stricter gun laws than the US. Australia has not had a single act of gun violence with an assaut rifle since their ban was put in place in the 1990s.
Excellent. At least there will be one organization in attendance that isnt emotionally compromised.
I wonder what the right wing will have to say when the next gun toting killer claims that he feared for his life and was merely standing his ground as he mowed down innocents. What then?
Maybe we've already heard way more than enough from the NRA, and maybe it's time to hear from someone else?
Nah, let's send them an engraved invitation and beg to hear what they have to say.
Why is the NRA in the room? I thought we didn't negotiate with terrorists?
I don t know what world our leader is livin in ??? there are already armed guards at schools. If the pres would fix the employment situation, alot of other problems would fall into place, like revenue to fix other issues. Our the leaders of this country not sharp enough to see this???
Alot of snide comments, this is an American problem not a dem or repub problem,, wise up it effects all of us
That's a bit like letting the KKK in on a meeting about affirmative action...
The NRA has bought and paid for many in the GOP!
For all those of us who want Government to CUT SPENDING all the time, but are truly entertaining the idea of sending one or two armed police offices to every school in the country. Let me ask you this simple question:
ARE YOU GOING TO PAY MORE TAXES TO FUND THIS NEW SPENDING?
Now for all those people who might jump on me for my question...throw me in that room with Biden, I have a few ideas for him.
If you want to buy a gun:
1. You will agree to pay for a full background check on you or anyone residing in your home (we all know it doesn't take much for someone in your house to get their hands on YOUR guns). Excluding children under the age of 12.
2. You will agree to undergo a full psychological and psychiatric evaluation along with everyone living in your home. Excluding children under the age of 12.
3. However, if you plan on teaching your UNDER 12 year old to learn how to shoot...rule 1 and 2 applies to them as well.
4. If you or anyone in the home fails 1 or 2 your request for a gun license will be denied.
Gun control and preventing those with mental illness from getting their hands on guns. The cost stays with the customer and it's not passed on to the rest of us (UNLIKE SENDING COPS TO EVERY SCHOOL).
any questions?
It's also like government endorsement of the largest racial hate group in our nation, the NAACP.
If NRA wants to put armed guards in every school, should they not be allowed to have 3 or 4 automatic rifles along with hundreds of bullets too? That is what they need to make sure that they will not be outgunned by those criminals.
Don't we need well equipped armed guards at all other public places too?
By the way, NRA and its supporters should pay for it and must be held accountable for public safety reasons.
Also, should gun owners not be required to renew their gun licenses every year? After all, guns are far more deadly than cars.