Today, Vice President Biden begins his series of meetings on gun violence. After President Obama attended a memorial for the fourth mass tragedy as President, he decided it was time to finally find a way to stop the violence.
Last month, he we set up the Gun Control Task Force where he put Vice President Biden in charge in hopes of finding a way to put an end to these horrific massacres.
The task force will meet with hunting organizations, gun owners, video game manufacturers and mental health groups.
Today the Vice President and Attorney General meet with gun safety groups and survivors of past shootings. Here’s a full list of attendees:
Administration Officials:
Vice President Joe Biden
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Gun Safety Advocate Groups:
Arizona for Gun Safety
Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence
Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus & States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Cease Fire Pennsylvania
CT Against Gun Violence
Cure Violence
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Mothers In Charge
Protect Minnesota
Violence Policy Center
Wisconsin Anti Violence Effort
Victims & Survivors:
Colin Goddard, Survivor of Virginia Tech Shooting
Elilta Habtu, Survivor of Virginia Tech shooting
William Kellibrew, Witness to Violence & Founder, William Kellibrew Foundation
Annette Nance-Holt, Mother of Victim to Gang Violence
Lonnie Phillips, Stepfather of Aurora Shooting Victim
The task force is focusing on the impact of video games and Hollywood, which is an important issue that has been overlooked in the past when discussing gun control. But, did you know that video games actually make us smarter? According to Brain-Changing Games an article in Scientific American Mind the video games that improve our cognitive function the most are actually the most violent ones. Also, while 90% of kids to play video games the average age for a video gamer is 33.
Also tomorrow Vice President Biden meets with the gun groups including the NRA, which could be the most intriguing session Vice President Biden has. However, while some may be excited that the NRA is willing to participate in these talks, we all shouldn’t be too optimistic, as First Read points out, they are sending a representative not Wayne LaPierre.
According to preliminary CDC & FBI Crime stats in 2011 32,163 people were killed in the U.S. by a firearm. 62% of these were suicides and 35% were homicides. Clearly we need to find an answer to stop these horrific acts.
So will the White House and the NRA be able to find common ground, or are they headed on a collision course? Do we need to rid our lives of violent video games? Joining the conversation today is Huffington Post Media Group Editorial Director Howard Fineman to discuss what Vice President’s report may reveal.