As he assembled with other notables at a President Obama-led vigil in Newtown Sunday night, outgoing Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman laid out his ideas for how his colleagues should act.
Among those steps: Revive the expired assault weapons ban. Improve background checks for some gun-buyers.
And create a commission to “take a thoughtful look” at violence in American society.
He listed those steps in a conversation with media “pool reporters” allowed into the event to serve as eyes and ears for news outlets at large.
“I’m always reluctant about commissions, but I really believe we ought to have a national commission on violence. These events are happening more frequently and I worry that if we don’t take a thoughtful look at them, we’re going to lose the hurt and the anger that we have now,” Lieberman said.
“And that includes looking at violence in the entertainment culture, mental health services and, of course, gun laws. But I said that shouldn’t stop anything that the president and Congress want to do.
“Two things I mentioned was to restore the assault weapons ban, which expired, which existed for 10 years, ’94 to 2004, not enough votes to re-authorize it, and it had a significant effect on murders committed with guns. In other words, down. The second was, right now the background checks that the Brady Law has, if you go into a licensed federal firearms dealer, you got to be subject to, are pretty good. But if you go into a gun show or you go and buy a gun from some antique dealer, you’re not checked at all. And those to me are two things that would be important.”
During the event itself, Obama read off the names of victims, prompting sobs and “cries” from those in the auditorium.
“It could have been any school,” Obama said, according to the pool report. “We have wept with you.” And he gave a nod to people calling for him to match words with policy action, by signalling that he will seek to expand gun control — to use “whatever power” he can to prevent future Newtowns.