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Am moderating a conversation with Vice President Biden tomorrow about the President's recent proposals to reduce gun violence.   

Please feel free to leave any questions you may have for the VP- here on this post. 

Our guests will include  +Guy Kawasaki +Philip DeFranco  +Kimberley Blaine among others.

Again this is not an interview by me-  my job is primarily to moderate.
All our guests will be representing their own points of view and they have large communities of their own (which I'm sure will send many thousands of questions their way).

Couple of small but important requests I have as you leave questions (the +PBS NewsHour way)
-Be civil
-Think Question not just comment
-If you'd like to point (link) to what you consider an important data point that supports your question, do share. 


The #GooglePlusHangout  will be live-streamed on the WhiteHouse YouTube channel as well as embedded several places including at 

145pm Eastern 1/24

Share this post, and join me tomorrow. Thanks. ﻿
Manu Sridharan's profile photoIris Gross's profile photoPeter Wolek's profile photoTom Sly's profile photo
I wonder if the VP feels that the debate and the political climate surrounding this issue, now, are different from other times, for example the 1970s...﻿
Question for Biden: Should strict scrutiny be applied before we infringe upon either the 1st or 2nd amendment?

For those unfamiliar with strict scrutiny, it must pass three tests:

1) It must be justified by a compelling governmental interest. 
2) The law or policy must be narrowly tailored to achieve that goal or interest.
3) The law or policy must be the least restrictive means for achieving that interest, that is, there cannot be a less restrictive way to effectively achieve the compelling government interest.﻿
Since gun supporters won't give up their guns, can we have mandatory walk in metal detectors in malls, grocery shops, theatres, schools, colleges and other public areas? How costly will it get?﻿
Question: Would a mandatory walk in metal detector or automatically locking door have stopped Lanza from murdering adults and children in Sandy Hook?  After all, he did force his way through a secure entrance with gunfire.﻿
Question: Would it not have alerted everyone? or, can it not be linked to an automatic door? ﻿
I hope you bring up the discussion of the mentally deranged, side-effects of withdrawal from antidepressants, and the possibility of putting a waver of doctor/patient confidentiality on the application to purchase a firearm. Trying to dress up the previous failed "assault weapons ban" will not fix the problem, and will only hurt the political proponents of the legislation in the next election. Saturation of firearms in this country is to such a degree the ban will be completely ineffective, especially against criminals who follow no laws anyway.﻿
Question for Vice President Biden: If Congress is unwilling or unable to pass a bill with all of the recommendations on curbing gun violence, but passes a much smaller, watered down version, then how much will be "good enough" for you and President Obama? What is the absolute minimum you and the President will accept in order to sign a bill into law?﻿
Question for Vice President Biden: When you asked; "Why would anyone need an assault rifle or a high capacity ammunition clip?" Wouldn't a better question be; Why did Rosa Parks "need" to sit in the front of the bus?﻿
In my previous comment I simply tried to point out an inconsistency in reasoning by the various parties. I am definitely not in favor of having guns in the hands of criminals. In fact, I grew up in a country where no one has guns, except police and military. I felt much safer there than I do living in the US.﻿
As a retired Air Force officer, father of three (and now a grandpa), I wonder why the mention of "a well-regulated MIlitia" is seemingly ignored.  Would it not be feasible to require those who choose to "keep and bear arms" to attend drills, train to a military occupational specialty, maintain military standards, and be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice?  This, to me, is closer to the original intent of Article 2.﻿
+Mike Martin
That would be fine if the 2nd Amendment was open to interpretation, but then the left would claim "arms" refers to that section of a human body between the shoulder and elbow. The literal, absolute word of the law is what matters; "Shall not be infringed." This is why Washington D.C.'s unconstitutional law against handguns for personal home defense was overturned by SCOTUS.﻿
Question for the Vice President: Where is national leadership to promote thoughtful and respectful debate on a topic that drives people to the heights of irrationality, hyperbole, and impassioned delusion (on all sides of the debate)? Not only do we need his office to advance policies, our country desperately needs guidance on how to talk about these issues in a respectful and productive manner. There are a few people out there (and in this thread, even) who are well informed and productively engaged. But most of what I see is frighteningly ignorant, entrenched, and closed-minded.﻿
+Martha Ezell : Interesting.  In order to live in freedom, we must give up our freedoms.  Reminds me of something someone said about security and liberty.

That being said, perhaps the question you wanted to phrase was, "Mr. Biden, how are you going to stop all violence in this country that occurs without firearms?"  Or even more specifically, "Mr. Biden, how are you going to stop all violence in this country that occurs with all the firearms that are still legal after you ban assault rifles, large capacity magazines, and concealed carry?"﻿
I agree with Michael above.  Biden should be leading the calls for rational and thoughtful discussion, not proposing senseless and useless laws that do silly things like restrict bayonet lugs.  Biden and Obama calling for a ban that restricts bayonet lugs almost sounds like some kind of ridiculous parody of "bayonets and horses."  This discussion should be guided by fact-based arguments which include critical analysis along the way: what is the problem?  What are potential solutions?  What are the benefits of each?  Costs?  Etc.

"If we save one single life then any actions we take are justified" seems to be the (almost verbatim) approach by Obama and Biden thus far, and it's absolutely absurd.  No intelligent and thoughtful person follows that specious reasoning.﻿
Tax ammunition like was done cigarettes. And have a clearance to purchase more ammo than reasonable (one box) within a reasonable period (six months). A shooter that can not "take care of business" in one clip does not deserve ownership...and is sick in mind regarding personal protection. Possession of unreasonable amounts of ammo and licence thereof should be a felony with mandated hard time.
The crazies that have potential to "go postal" need to be sought out before they take action. They need to be put into programs that stress anger management and civility. If not then successful, they need to be in a controlled environment.﻿
+Boz Hobbs : Put in terms of a question for Biden, "Can you include in your legislative proposals a limit of 50 bullets per person per six months, the requirement of a license and a individually judge approved reason for anyone to possess any firearm, and a mandatory mental health screening for all individuals over the age of 12 so that we can institutionalize those that are deemed dangerous to themselves and others?"

Honestly not sure what Biden's answer to that may be.﻿
+Jim Perdue What does bananas have to do with oranges, Jim?  heard of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. have no civil rights thanks to W.﻿
+Jere Krischel Two points: know your neighbors (which we don't) and fund mental health in this country (which we also don't). And get involved in your Neighborhood Watch.﻿
+Boz Hobbs : Maybe you can put that in terms of a question to Biden, "Why did Obama extend the Patriot act which infringes upon the civil rights of US citizens?  Do you similarly believe that infringements upon 2nd amendment rights are acceptable?  Will you work towards restoring civil rights by abolishing the Patriot Act and protecting the 2nd amendment?"

You could also phrase your neighbors/mental health comment as a question: "Mr. Biden, will you enact legislation that makes it mandatory for you to introduce yourself to your neighbors at least once a month, and furthermore increase taxes as necessary to provide free mental health care to anyone who wants it?"﻿
Pk Anon
Question for the VP. The recent NY state law allows doctors to alert law enforcement to remove guns from a patient's home if the doctor deems the patient presents a danger to him/herself or to others. It is clear that there are some cases, such as the Virginia Tech shooting, where the shooter was mentally unbalanced and should never have been sold a single weapon. But not every person with mental illness is that dangerous, a fact that the President alluded to in his speech earlier this month when he noted that people with mental illnesses are twice as likely to be victims than perpetrators.

Is there any fear this will create a chilling effect with respect to getting mental health care, i.e. someone with BPD who owns a gun but is afraid that a doctor will order their gun taken from them so they simply don't go to the doctor? As people with diagnosed mental illnesses are largely just living their lives peacefully and without note, what will be done on the federal level to protect the rights of people capably managing their mental illnesses to own guns for personal defense or other reasons, and to reduce any disincentives to getting mental help inadvertently created by well-meaning gun laws? ﻿
Ammunition is a component of a firearm, just like a magazine is. Shall not be infringed. When the Brits stopped allowing firearms and powder to come to the colonies is what started the whole revolution, and why the 2nd Amendment is so poignantly outlined in the Constitution.﻿
Which Government agency is going to decide which Americians are mentaly capable of owning a gun?

Is "stupid " a mental illness?﻿
Is it appropriate for the administration to propose gun restrictions on specific firearms for law abiding citizens will simultaneously selling those exact same guns by the thousands to criminal gangs in Mexico? How will the administration curb the gun murder rate in Mexico in relation to the 2000+ guns provided to cartels through Fast & Furious?  Is the goal of this administration to arm civilizations enemies and disarm its civil population?﻿
Question for VP Biden:

What can we learn from other developed nations with a history of gun ownership and relaxed gun laws?﻿
What theVicepresident would ANSWER to those arguing "WE, the People. have the Right to have all the guns we might need to defend ourselves in case someone threats me or my family; and taking that RIGHT from Us is Anti-constitutional"﻿
+Hari Sreenivasan  Ok, here you go with 2 simple questions.
1) Mr. Vice President, if your family were under letal atack, and you have at reach a handgun. Would you defend them, or stay still and be a perfect witness ?

2) Mr. Vice President, explain why do you believe YOUR bodyguards (for example, secret service) should carry firearms and be willing to use them to defend YOUR life.. and think thats not ok for the common citizen to do the same with their own family, with the SAME weapons.

Thanks for this oportunity +Hari Sreenivasan ﻿
Here's just a simple question to ask VP Biden:  What is your personal interpretation of the 2nd amendment?  Straight up no dancing around -- regardless of whether it is applicable today -- what exactly does he think it says and means.﻿
Ask the VP what he plans on doing about violence, period?  In the movies, in video games, in the news?  Does he want to ban that as well?  It's not just 'gun' violence that's a problem, it's the glorification of violence in society that is the problem.  If it will save just one life, why not ban cars, knives, bats, and rocks etc.., any of which can be used to assault someone at which point it becomes an assault weapon.﻿
Question for Guy Kawasaki:

How does the increasing speed of technological change impact the ability of citizens in a democratic society to control abuse of power?

Foundation for basis thesis:  My handheld iPhone 5 does far more, with 1,000 more memory, at 1/10 the cost, than ever could my Mac IIcx.  AR-15s in civilian hands are not likely to ensure "ordered liberty."  But the questions, and the discussion shouldn't end there.  How do we guarantee real accountability in a world where the technological change gives profound advantages to business elites and political elites?

Possible points of departure for discussion:

We like that drones keep us safe from Al Qaeda.  We accept the "cost" of the killing of US citizens without judicial process.  The Attorney General says that if the President authorizes an action that makes it legal.  Drone technology will shortly make it possible to have thousands of micro-drones doing surveillance work and massive data collection at limited cost, domestically.  

We like that listening to "chatter" on the internet keeps us safe from Al Qaeda.  We accept that secretive Federal intelligence agencies constantly sift through billions of communications involving US citizens with very limited judicial oversight.  Telecommunications companies, dependent on Federal support for the rules that give them an oligopoly, readily respond to requests for data.

We like "law and order" and prefer "preemptive" actions against potential troublemakers.  We accept that US taxpayers should be charged, again, to read the results of the research they have already paid for.  When a well-known, well-respected young man, with known issues of depression, protests with an act of civil disobedience that harmed no one, the US Attorney for Massachusetts hounds him to suicide.  When the on-line civil libertarian community responds with over 40,000 signatures in less than a week to an on line petition to the White House, the White House unilaterally reacts by raising the threshold for responding to a petition to 100,000.

We like being asked to pose questions to celebrities we admire (like you Guy -- for years my wife and I referred to our kids as the "portable units").  It flatters us.  And if along the way Amazon and Google helpfully suggest the next item or service we might like to buy, well what's wrong with a little old fashioned business?  Analytics and microtargeting are our friends.  We celebrate the ability of a Presidential campaign to use analytics and microtargeting to turn out precisely those voters, in precisely those counties (and by the same methods to discourage other voters, in a currently disfavored demographic, who do not understand their own best interests) needed to win.﻿
How about focusing more on gun violence as a public health problem and couple it with reforms coming via the Affordable Care Act to reduce health care costs? Fewer gunshot wounds leads to lower health care costs.﻿
Would you support Biometric trigger locks so only owner can unlock and be held accountable for crimes committed by unlocked guns?﻿
Does the VP understand that there is no functional difference between an Armalight Rifle platform in a .223 caliber and a Ruger Mini 14 Ranch? or that SCOTUS ruled in Heller vs D.C. That the individual right to 'keep and bear arms' interpreted by the justices as 'own and carry arms' that are quote, "commonly used and available" at the time is protected under the 2nd amendment? The AR-15 platform rifle has been the #1 selling rifle in the U.S. for at least the last two years. They are both commonly used and available. ﻿
Why do we have to worry about the freedom of pro-gun rights people and be afraid that their interpretation of the 2nd amendment is not being defended? Did they care or protect the 20 children and 6 adults who were brutally murdered? Do they pay any attention to statistics of gun murders in this country which are 33 people dying everyday compared to other countries with normal sensible gun laws that protect their citizens and keep them alive? It's ridiculous that banning military style assault weapons is somehow infringing on a person's freedom. How about the freedom of the rest of us to go to school and anywhere else without the fear of being shot by a gun that holds unlimited rounds of ammunition? If the Supreme Court could write a new law allowing Florida to stop counting their votes and elected George W. Bush then why can't President Obama use an executive order to ban all assault weapons, limit magazine capacities and limit the amount of guns each person can own? Why do people want to be a walking commercial to raise money for the NRA and the gun industry? They're just businesses that want more and more profit no matter what happens or who dies or lives permanently disabled from gun violence. ﻿
A question for Vice President Biden: Mr. Vice President, I was fortunate to contribute as an OFA volunteer and then OFA staff in California, and I can guarantee that you and President Obama have hundreds...if not thousands...of Californians backing you 110 percent on your efforts. They have great passion for and want to help with this issue. My question is, what is your vision for advocacy of your proposed program at the state level, if any?﻿
A question for Vice President: why is the NRA still important, and what can be done to diminish their hold on Congress?﻿
This is a comment for VP Biden.  As someone working overseas trying to encourage more foreign students to study in the United States, I think we need to keep in mind the impact that gun violence has on our mission to increase the number of international students in the United States as part of economic statecraft.  With every incident of gun violence in schools in the United States, fewer and fewer parents overseas want to send their children to study in the United States.  Instead, they send their children to the UK, Australia, or Canada, where they can learn English and where there are stricter gun control laws.  This could have far-reaching economic implications, not only due to lost tuition but also on our inability to attract the best and brightest to ensure our country can continue to be at the forefront of research and development. ﻿
+Hari Sreenivasan question for VP Biden; out-going Secretary Clinton in 2011 famously said that we are losing the information war to alternative media, such as Al Jazeera and that we are not competing in the "information values" battle around the world.  What is the Vice President's view on this statement?  Are we in an information war and are we still losing?  What should the United States do about that and what is the role of the White House in competing globally through information and media?﻿
Please ask why there cannot be more accountability and responsibility in manufacturing and ownership of firearms. All firearms come with serial numbers just as cars do,yet you have to tax,license,register,inspect and insure a vehicle on a regular basis. A vehicle's history can be tracked once it leaves the plant simply by entering the VIN in a database. We have a right to own a car but with that comes responsibilities that we must adhere to. Why can't the same be accomplished with gun manufacturing and ownership.﻿
A question for VP Biden:  What role do you think schools and educators should play in preventing the root causes of violence in our society?  I offer the following resource as co-editor of the Handbook of Prosocial Education (2012).  In my work helping schools develop codes of student conduct based on community defined core ethical values I have found that educators have very little sense of this aspect of their role. Education policy that only emphasizes standardized tests measuring academic development is an inadequate framework for developing engaged citizens who care about each other.  A caring community and prosocial school climate is the first antidote for violence prevention.  Phil Brown, Rutgers University. See and﻿
I would like to know how any gun control legislation will work when Connecticut already has gun control legislation and assault rifles are already limited. This did not stop Adam Lanza from obtaining a gun. In fact Lanza broke more than 9 laws prior to shooting anyone in the school. How are more laws going to stop violence if the existing laws do not work?

I would also like to ask a follow-up question in regards to Chicago who had some of the strictest gun control laws in 2012, and why their murder rate was the highest it has been in years?﻿
Question: why were taxes on gun and ammunition not part of the recommendations by the president? Is that something the administration will consider suggesting to Congress? ﻿
I have lost friends and family members to gun violence. In the debate, I notice that there is a strong gender divide, with more men against new restrictions, more women for them. How can women work together to support the efforts of the administration and representatives to pass legislation that is opposed by the male-dominated gun lobby?﻿
The President's proposal prohibits transfer of so called "assault weapons".  As these are property, a failure to allow transfer of existing weapons would be a taking under the constitution.  How would this be legal?﻿

Please ask VP Biden about the following:

   1. limitation(s) to what guns people can buy and how many
   2. limitation(s) on how many bullets people can buy at
       once (or in one week, etc.).
   3. putting a limit on how violent video games and action
       figures can be...children have been introduced to
       violence at too early of an age!

Even though #1 and #2 would require a national database to keep track of data, it is well worth it and over due.

+Philip DeFranco +Hari Sreenivasan +Guy Kawasaki 
+Google Politics & Elections ﻿
During the run-up to Obamacare talk of "death panels" swept the nation. With gun control it's talk of UN troops being sent to disarm us.  People note that laws already on the books didn't prevent these recent shootings and question how new laws would make any difference.  What can be done to convince folks that measures like limiting magazine capacity are not the same thing as total disarmament and how can we better explain that these changes aren't expected to be 100% perfect nor applicable to all situations?﻿
accept that whatever legislation you finally try to push through gets made law. accept that for example, "semi automatic rifles" are made illegal. ok, now, what do you propose to do about the millions of those devices that are now illegal but which were obtained legally? is the government going to purchase them from their current owners? and finallý, how many decades do you think it will take for ANY new gun legislation to make a difference in the number of lives lost to guns?﻿
Question for the Vice President on Gun Violence:  There are nationwide restrictions in place prohibiting guns and other dangerous weapons in the K-12 system.  However, a number of high profile gun violence incidents have occurred and continue to occur at our nation's higher education institutions.  Please consider legislation to restrict guns and other dangerous weapons at public and private institutions of higher education in America.  Such legislation would give campus police officers and university officials one of the tools currently missing that would help to keep our academic institutions safe.  Thanks.
Steve Rittereiser
Seattle, WA﻿
Why did President Obama wait until a second term to pursue gun control?  Was getting re-elected more important? 

Why keep talking about gun bans when you know this results in more guns sales of the very guns you talk about banning?  Voluntary gun buyback programs are much more effective in removing guns off the streets.  Why have you left this out of your long list of proposals?﻿
What is the purpose for the second ammendment to our Bill of Rights? Is it about deer hunting or the sporting life? Or was it included for some other reason, and if so what?﻿
Questions for Biden: "If you had been a teacher at Sandy Hook, who violated the law and kept a concealed carry pistol, would you have tried to stop the massacre?"

"Which law proposal of yours is going to prevent people from stealing weapons, going to a gun free zone, and then killing innocent people?"﻿
Qn to Vice President - Is there a conversation / consideration by law makers about gun laws in other countries and how they impact gun violence in those countries? In UK and other European counties where there are more stringent gun laws, the gun violence seems to be much lower than the US. In Australia self defence is not accepted as a reason for issuing a gun license.﻿
People own guns for many reasons.  To classify an AR15 as bad might make sense to urban city resident but not if you live out a large ranch where it is use for varmints.   This gun debate is not just about gun violence but more about how people view and use them.

If I lived in Oakland California I would want more than a 9mm pistol for self defense.  Police call can go unanswered and residents have to be prepared to defend themselves or learn to live in fear of the criminals who don't care about any guns laws.﻿
I support Vice President Biden's and President Obama's mission to cut violence and will fully support their recommendations and plans. As a college student, I am wondering what the Vice President and President's plans are to make college campuses safer, and if they have any specific plans/recommendations in the latest proposals related to colleges.﻿
I''d like to find out what we can and will do to reduce the deadliness of ammunition being sold in the U.S. Additionally, what pro-active steps can/will we take now that 3D printing (both plastic and metal) is no longer prohibitively expensive? People will make their own parts and create completely unregistered weapons.   ﻿
+Rick Johnson : Put in terms of a question for Biden: "Given the tense relationship between large, inner city police departments and the minority residents of those cities, what are you going to do to ensure the ability of minority residents to protect themselves from violence when either the police are unresponsive, or when the ones perpetrating the violence on the community are police officers?"﻿
Mr. Vice-President, if we are serious about stopping gun deaths in this country, we must acknowledge that hunting fosters a culture of violence and makes weapons readily available to many who should not have them. Why is your administration treating hunting as off-limits to include in this debate?﻿
Another question for Biden: "We must acknowledge that driving fosters a culture of violence and danger for many people who should not be driving.  Why aren't we also discussing vehicular deaths in the discussion around mechanical items that can kill people?"﻿
Aside from the obvious infringement on 2A rights, how many American small businesses will no long exist if you carry out your far reaching gun control bill? How many lives will be effected when they loose their job? How many municipalities will loose out when their manufacturing tax base goes away? How much will wildlife conservation be effected by gun control? These proposals effect good people more than bad.﻿
QUESTION: Since illegal guns will always exist doesn't it make more sense to protect places criminals may attack than to ban more legal guns as this "Assault Weapons Ban" also covers guns that cannot be considered an assault weapon?﻿
Nils H
Are there any numbers on proffits made from the sale of assault rifles? Would taxing the sale of fire arms/ assault wepons be a path to reduce sales?
Thanks for your time and service.﻿
Mr Biden
Thanks for your efforts on this topic that has become urgent.
Every time there has been tragic incident in recent history, we had a person holding these weapons , who clearly should not have possession of these. To objectively evalute the new laws while balancing with any civil liberties concerns , we should closely look at how the new laws/regulations would make guns offlimit from those individuals who are dangerous for our citizens and kids. Could you assure us that new regulations would help with this core issue?﻿
Why is it easier to own and use a gun, then it is to own and drive a car? You should have to take a gun education course, pass a test to get a license, register your gun, renew the registration yearly, pay taxes on it, ammunition bought for it is registered to it. Then you should have to insure it, just like a car. So if your gun accidentially or illegally hurts or kills someone, the insurance compensates the person or their family.﻿
Why is it easier to own and use a knife, than it is to own and drive a car?  You should have to take a knife education course, pass a test to get a license, register your knife, renew the registration yearly, pay taxes on it, sharpening stones bought for it are registered to it.  Then you should have to insure it, just like a car.  So if your knife accidentally or illegally hurts or kills someone, the insurance compensates you or your family.﻿
VP Biden mentions that gun ownership is for sport and self-protection. What about the Founder's clear intent that they are also for preventing tyranny? Does he believe that as well?﻿
How many times has a knife been involved in mass murders?﻿
It sounds like we have a "Government Of the NRA, By the NRA, For the NRA”. NRA is out to stifle the administrations' heroic attempts to reign in Gun Violence?﻿
What is the definition of an assault weapon?  Wouldn't it be easier to control magazine capacity than trying to ban a specific weapon that does not have a clear definition of what it is? 5 rounds in a machine gun is no more dangerous (and may be less dangerious) than 5 rounds in a bolt action rifle.﻿
Put the form of a question for biden: "What do you think about the knife violence we saw when an attacker named Wu Huanming (吴环明), 48, killed seven children and two adults and injured 11 other persons with a cleaver at a kindergarten in Hanzhong, Shaanxi on May 12, 2010?  What will your legislative proposals do to prevent such cleaver attacks?"﻿
Question of VP Biden: What about the Clyde Barrow problem? Background info on the Clyde Barrow problem: Clyde Barrow robbed the National Guard armory to gain access to the Browning rifle, that was restricted to exclusive military access only.﻿
I notice that White House proposals would require background checks for all gun purchases. What about background checks for purchases of ammunition? We know that a certain number of guns will slip through the cracks - and when they do, the criminals who own them will need ammo. Why not provide another layer of protection?﻿
Would you agree that guns are dangerous by design and that safety is an issue with behavior, not hardware. How do you make a gun safer without making it harder to use when needed? How does limiting the number of bullets that can be used in any weapon make is safer?﻿
since friday, 12/14/2012 my heart is sad. these were babies in newtown. i am also sad about the shooter, as it seems he had asperger's syndrome.  my prayers are for all of these families.    our family is affected by asperger's every day for the past 14 years.           biggest thing i have decided, is as kids on the autism spectrum, asperger's included have great supports in school. at least there are more possible things to adapt for school.the common thread of many of these horrific things, is the shooter was so smart, he should have known what he was doing. WRONG!! despite their intelligence, they go from school supports and graduate high school at 18. then there's minimal supports asas adults, when they turn 18, suddenly parents can't talk to health care providers, since they are now an adult and one must have near by to give consent.  also, the assistance of even like assisted job coach if needed is now not available.  why??, because they have too high of IQ. my prayers are that while all the families are still grieving, we as american people work together for never having this type of event.  as a former nurse at st. louis children's hospital, really seeing gun violence.  thank-you﻿
I was very impressed by Mr. Biden and his comments.  However, a .22 target pistol does not out gun a police officer.  An officer will not carry one because it will not penetrate a car window if someone tried to run him down.  It is in no way an assault weapon.  But, most guns have at least a 10 round clip so a limit of 7 rounds as New York tried to do banned the cops guns too.  A 10 round limit sounds reasonable to me if this is in fact what they do. The main concern most gun owners have is legal guns becoming illegal because of unreasonable limits.  The discussion needs to focus on the definition of "Reasonable".﻿
I support controlling guns but I sincerely believe that the violence issue is way more complex than that. I think WE ALL, as society, play a roll. Mental diseases are part of it,  but it's also important HOW we behave at home; the Human values we  have and teach our children; being tolerant and respectful with ALL different ethnic groups and religious beliefs. And i know is gonna sound "utopic" but if we would pay a little attention when someone around us (colleagues, friends, students, neighbors, etc) looks "lost" or always sad or something like it  we should leave our "comfort zone" and show some affection or interest about him/her.. be more open to share our care with others; even if that person is "so strange" to us. ﻿
Hari,  As CEO of an emergency operations technology company with 30+ years experience, gun violence surely warrants my 10 cents worth: state and local emergency operations efficiency and response times & incident management practices will come into VP Biden's gun violence's national conversation. Situational awareness has finally exposed its ugly little head.  I'm surprised it hasn't come up by now!  There is a reason for this lack of mentioning; within Incident Management's technological capabilities, resources (ie guns) and people credentials (gun owners) is the across the board #1 shortfall (local, state, and regional levels; public and/or private).  That is, until now....   

That said, TractorFax Technologies, a DHS/FEMA NIMS STEP Authorized Vendor is a vital, robust, and intuitive piece regarding the ways Mr.  VP mentioned. Deployment ready TractorFax Technologies, a first of its kind, greatly enhances current Incident Management shortfalls, specifically it's Resource Management interoperable functionality, by reaching  beyond the Homeland's 37 future Targeted Capabilities List (TCL); even offering a workable layer  to the many, until now unobtainable, untapped resource ownership (guns and gun owners) dilemmas.  The same can be said regarding the ever present threat of an agro terrorism incident.  Situational awareness! 

I'm surprised at your learning!       ﻿
+Hari Sreenivasan Thank you for your time & involvement in the discussion on the gun control debate, your plesant attitude helped me to be at ease & have encouraged me to start doing more public speaking even when I do not personally know at least 10 people in the room﻿

Question to anyone on the panel: The civilian version of the military M-16 rifle, the ArmaLite-15, has been available commercialy in the United States since  1963, but it appears that the use of these rifles in multiple homicides has increased in recent years.  Since these civilian weapons and 20+ magazines have been available for over 40 years and thus not the cause of the increase, what steps would you propose to determine the root cause(s) of the increase and what steps can be taken to change the trend.  If you have evidence that civilian versions of military weapons are the cause of the increase in multiple homicides, I would be very interested in knowing about that study. ﻿
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