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Biden to push gun control at event in Philadelphia on Monday
Vice President Biden will continue the White House's push for new gun controls with an event with law enforcement officials in Philadelphia next week.
Biden's trip on Monday will likely resemble a trip he took to Richmond late last month, where he met with officials who coordinated the response to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. Earlier this week, President Obama traveled to meet with local law enforcement officials and push lawmakers to institute universal background checks on firearm purchasers and ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
"We may not be able to prevent every massacre or random shooting. No law or set of laws can keep our children completely safe. But if there’s even one thing we can do, if there's just one life we can save, we've got an obligation to try," the president said.
Casey's attendance is notable; the moderate senator had previously been a strong supporter of gun rights but said the shooting in Newtwon, Conn., changed his thinking. He has since called for tighter gun controls.
Later in the week, Obama will posthumously award the Presidential Citizens Medal to the six teachers and administrators who died in December's elementary school shooting.
Obama is also expected to repeat his call for stronger gun controls in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday suggested the president's gun-control plans could be resonating, with 92 percent of all voters saying they support requiring universal background checks on gun purchases. That total includes 89 percent of Republicans, 92 percent of independents and 96 percent of Democrats.
The poll also found sizable support for other aspects of the gun-control plan presented by the president. A majority of voters support a ban on the sale of assault weapons (56-39 percent) and high capacity magazines (56-40 percent).
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