Joe Biden To Lead a Review of U.S. Gun Policies

President Obama will not call for any "specific measures" on gun policy at a joint announcement with Joe Biden at the White House today, but the president will reportedly task the VP with leading an administration-wide review.

President Obama will not call for any "specific measures" on gun policy at a joint announcement with Joe Biden at the White House today, but the president will reportedly task the vice president with leading an administration-wide review that could point the way to future proposals. President Obama will appoint Biden to lead an "inter-agency process" that will examine all the current policies related to gun violence and one that would presumably devise new solutions that might prevent another tragedy like the Sandy Hook school shooting.

On Tuesday, the president met with Biden and three key Cabinet secretaries—Attorney General Eric Holder, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius—to discuss the new project. Despite saying over the past several days that decisive action would need to be taken, the White House is not yet ready to propose any new policy changes, but will instead go the task force route, which could possibly be the first step toward new regulations or laws. Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday that Obama is "actively supportive" of Sen. Dianne Feinstein's new assault-weapons ban, and that he would be willing to consider new laws, like limits on ammunition and an end to gun purchases made at trade shows without a background check.

Polls taken after the Newtown shooting show that support for new gun control legislation is the highest it has been in more than a decade. Whether House Republicans are willing to commit is another question altogether.