FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2013 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, with Attorney General Eric Holder at left, speaks during a meeting with victims' groups and gun safety organizations in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Biden plans to speak at a gun violence conference a few miles from the scene of last years Newtown, Conn., school shooting massacre on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
DANBURY ? Vice President Joe Biden spoke Thursday at a gun violence conference a few miles from the scene of last year's Newtown school shooting massacre.
Watch live:?Connecticut Network is streaming video from the conference, which is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The conference, in Danbury, is to push President Barack Obama's gun control proposals. It was organized by members of the state's congressional delegation including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said the proximity to Newtown was of "symbolic significance."
"There will be people with enormous expertise speaking but also Connecticut and Newtown residents who have felt the full burden and brunt of this horrific tragedy," Blumenthal said.
Other officials including U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan also were scheduled to address the conference at Western Connecticut State University.
Obama is pushing for universal background checks for gun owners, a ban on military-style assault weapons and limiting the size of ammunition magazines.
There is a planned panel discussion on gun violence. A second panel was to discuss mental health and school safety initiatives.
Related: Malloy reveals 'common sense' gun violence prevention proposal
Gun makers and lobbyists weren't invited to participate in the conference, but Blumenthal said gun rights advocates will have opportunities in hearings and other forums to express their points of view. Continued...
Meanwhile, the mother of a 7-year-old girl killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre urged lawmakers at the conference to pass meaningful laws to help prevent another tragedy, winning a standing ovation as officials vowed to act.
Chris and Lynn McDonnell, whose daughter Grace was among 20 first graders and six educators killed in December, spoke Thursday in Danbury.
"We ask our representatives to look into their hearts and remember the 26 beautiful lives we lost and pass meaningful laws to help prevent this from happening again," Lynn McDonnell said, sparking a standing ovation.
Chris McDonnell said he hoped the moral responsibility of gun owners would be discussed.
The conference at Western Connecticut State University is to push President Barack Obama's gun control proposals. It was organized by members of the state's congressional delegation.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy revealed his own gun control package ahead of his appearance at the conference. He said Thursday that he wants to immediately ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, require background checks for the transfer of any firearm and expand the state's assault weapons ban. The Democrat has expressed frustration with the pace of the state legislature's efforts to form a response to the Newtown tragedy.
The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their Newtown home before going to the school and slaughtering 20 children and six adults. He committed suicide as police arrived.
As a teenager, Lanza studied at Western Connecticut State, earning a 3.26 grade point average before taking his last class in the summer of 2009. Classmates remembered him as quiet, a trait some thought was a result of him being younger than his peers.
Obama is pushing for universal background checks for gun owners, a ban on many military-style weapons and a limit on the size of magazines.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who organized the conference with two other members of the state's congressional delegation, said those measures are achievable. He said the Newtown shooting dramatically changed the prospects for gun control. Continued...
"Two months ago gun violence and measures to stop it were untouchable," Blumenthal said. "The forces of resistance as strong as they once appeared are a shadow of what they were."
A second panel was to discuss mental health and school safety initiatives.
Malloy, Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra, state police Capt. Dale Hourigan and the mayors of Bridgeport and Hartford planned to participate, along with other experts in the fields of mental health, law enforcement and education.
Gun makers and lobbyists weren't invited to participate in the conference, but Blumenthal said gun rights advocates will have opportunities in hearings and other forums to express their points of view.
Source: http://nhregister.com/articles/2013/02/21/news/doc512501201237a726887736.txt
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