Biden and Bloomberg Call for Assault Weapons Ban

Several families of the children who were gunned down in the Newtown shooting were brought together Thursday at New York City Hall by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vice President Joe Biden to call for a renewal of the assault-weapons ban. Biden, without calling the National Rifle Association by name, said it “must be awful being in public office and concluding that even though you might believe you should take action, that you can’t take action because of the political consequences you might face. What a heck of a way to make a living, what a heck of a way to have to act.” Senate Democrats have dropped the ban, citing a lack of votes, but announced Thursday that an expansion of federal background checks will be included in the revised bill.