President Barack Obama appointed Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday to lead an interagency task force to develop immediate reform to fight what Obama called a gun violence epidemic in the United States, The Washington Post reported. 

Biden will meet with cabinet members and outside groups to come up with a set of proposals by January, ABC News reported, which the president will push “without delay” to hold votes in Congress next year.

“This time, the words need to lead to action,” Obama said. “We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides…But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.”

The president vowed to take action after Friday’s shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., where an armed gunman killed 20 children and six adults using a semi-automatic weapon. 

Obama said he would support legislation banning certain types of semiautomatic guns and assault weapons, ABC reported, banning high-capacity magazines and closing the “gun show loophole” which allows gun purchases from private sellers without a background check. 

From The Washington Post: 

White House officials say the eventual package of proposals will likely include some new restrictions on guns, particularly assault rifles, and high-capacity magazines. But they say it will also likely involve measures that touch on mental health initiatives and, perhaps, a discussion on the depiction of violence presented in popular culture.

Obama voiced his support for the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and said he is betting that hunters and gun enthusiasts will support common-sense restrictions, USA Today reported.

“An unbalanced man should not be able to get a military-style assault weapon,” he said.

The president attended a memorial service on Sunday in Newtown, where he said, “At a memorial service Sunday in Newtown, Obama said: "In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have? We can't accept events like this as routine."

 

 

Read more of Neon Tommy’s coverage on the Newtown shooting here.

Reach Executive Producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.