Biden asks clergy to make moral argument on guns

May 6, 2013 @ 6:50 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden wants pastors, rabbis and nuns to tell their flocks that enacting gun control is the moral thing to do. But another vote may have to wait until Congress wraps up work on an immigration overhaul.

Biden met for two-and-a-half hours Monday with more than a dozen leaders from various faith communities _ Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh, to name a few. Both Biden and the faith leaders encouraged each other not to give up on what has been an arduous and thus far fruitless effort by Biden and President Barack Obama to pass new gun laws in the wake of December's schoolhouse shooting in Connecticut.

Around a large, circular table in a conference room on the White House grounds, Biden waxed optimistic about prospects for passing a bill, according to four participants who spoke to The Associated Press after the meeting. Biden's chief of staff, Bruce Reed, joined the group, as did a handful of Obama aides who work on faith-based outreach. The meeting closed with a meditation and a prayer for action.

But don't expect a vote any time soon.

"The conversation presumed the vote would happen first on immigration," said Rabbi David Saperstein, who directs the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. "That seemed to be the back-and-forth on both sides _ that immigration was a key priority right now. When that vote took place, it would be an opportunity to refocus on this."

A far-reaching immigration overhaul is in the early stages of advancing through the Senate. Obama said last week he's optimistic it can be completed this year.

Although momentum on gun control stalled in the Senate last month, Biden has insisted the issue is very much alive, and has been meeting regularly with gun violence victims and law enforcement to build support for a second go at legislation to expand background checks, improve mental health care and take other steps to reduce gun violence. Monday's session reflects an attempt to broaden the coalition calling for new gun laws to include a wide array of religious groups _ including evangelicals and conservative faith communities.

Without naming names, Biden alluded to senators who opposed background checks _ the centerpiece of the Obama administration's push _ who have faced a backlash in the weeks since and could possibly be picked off if the issue comes back for a vote.

Lingering concerns from some participants illustrated the ongoing challenge the administration faces in winning support for the proposals, even though Biden and Obama regularly tout polls suggesting they enjoy broad support. Some participants raised questions about whether background checks could lead to a national gun registry or whether mental health provisions would be used to create a list of individuals permanently banned from obtaining guns.

"There were some very powerful evangelical leaders in the room who needed to be reassured," said Pastor Michael McBride of the PICO National Network, a faith-based organizing network.

Citing what he described as misinformation from the National Rifle Association and others, Biden said the renewed push for gun control must correct misconceptions about what the proposals do and don't do, participants said. He asked clergy to keep up the pressure and to reframe the debate for their followers in moral terms.

A spokeswoman for Biden declined to comment on the meeting. But Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, said a diverse spectrum of denominations and religious orders were represented. She said they included evangelical leaders Richard Cizik and Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, as well as Sister Marge Clark of Network, a Catholic group.

___

Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (13)


  • Add A Comment

  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    When will a background check be performed on
    January 25, 2013 11:55 am
    The Dear Leader the King Obama??
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • manimal wrote...
    So in other words...
    February 6, 2013 4:57 pm
    Biden wants lawmakers to "vote for what they believe in" rather than what the constituents - who they are supposed to be representing - actually want.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HikerACE wrote...
    He's been that way for years.
    February 6, 2013 6:40 pm
    Heard him decades ago say he doesn't care what anyone says, he's going to do what he wants. I think he needs to look up the word representative. I also think those who kept voting him in need to go to confidence counseling.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Don't let politics foil gun control
    February 6, 2013 5:03 pm
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!! Crazy Uncle Joe preaching yet more hypocrisy to the sheep. Go fark yourself, Joe.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    YEA HPD
    February 6, 2013 6:57 pm
    Let's get a former vice president like Dick Cheney and share his "expertise" about gun safety. Maybe he could tour the country with the guy that he shot in the face.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Too much emotion.
    February 6, 2013 5:48 pm
    Almost can't wait for the memoirs of the Sandy Hook survivors to be published in 20 or 30 years. History will show they felt used and abused as pawns in a power game for what they suffered. Making quick descisions based entirely on emotion is a big mistake. Joe and Barry would not be stoking the fires so hard if they did not have something to gain for themselves.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Too much emotion.
    May 6, 2013 4:32 pm
    That's is all the left has; emotion. It's their entire platform.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HLC wrote...
    I agree wsu.
    April 9, 2013 11:47 am
    Now if I could only get Dick to take Joey and his boss the Fool hunting. Solve this countrys problem with one shot. It would only take one shot because you know Joey's head would be.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    The Real Embarrassment to this Country
    April 9, 2013 6:17 pm
    Is the unbridled STUPIDITY of Joe Biden. The man is the epitome of an Old Guy trying to stay relevant and is flat out pathetic. Every day the guy says something even more stupid than the day before.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Clergy?
    May 6, 2013 4:31 pm
    LIBERALS HATE ORGANIZED RELIGION!!!!!!! Remember, a lot of the "clergy" are .....oh m(y) God!....CHRISTIANS!!!!!!!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Bill Law wrote...
    Joe was picked for VP
    May 6, 2013 6:33 pm
    Because he's the only person in captivity who can be counted on to always look more idiotic than barry.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • longwayhome wrote...
    So many stupid posts
    May 6, 2013 7:21 pm
    From so many stupid republicans. Led off by the most idiotic of them all, "it's the moron." Saw your face in my toilet this morning, one flush and you were gone. Glad you could be in my head "one more time" Stupid piece of crap, keep posting your vomit, 2014 will make a believer out of you. Your butt buddies will ALL be gone and then you will have No friends, not that you have any now.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • longwayhome wrote...
    You too bill
    May 6, 2013 7:23 pm
    Go back to the pharmacy and get some more anti-depressants. You have been slacking lately.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }