As President Obama announced Joe would be leading a real inter-agency task force on gun violence...and set to provide real recommendations going forward in time for the first days of Obama's second term....this classic moment from the 2008 primaries immediately sprung to mind for me.
During the famous 'Youtube' debate one questioner asked "are our babies safe" and then held up his tricked out AR-15 style rifle and referred to it as his 'baby.'
Biden's perfect answer comes in around 1:15.
That Joe is leading this task force lets me know something real will get done. He'll come through for us. Go Joe.
Here's the transcript
COOPER: Another question regarding guns.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Good evening, America. My name is Jered Townsend from Clio, Michigan.
To all the candidates, tell me your position on gun control, as myself and other Americans really want to know if our babies are safe.
(holds up AR-15 assault rifle variant with multiple attachments)
This is my baby, purchased under the 1994 gun ban. Please tell me your views.
Thank you.
...
COOPER: Senator Biden, are you going to be able to keep his baby safe?
BIDEN: I'll tell you what, if that is his baby, he needs help.
(APPLAUSE)
I think he just made an admission against self-interest. I don't know that he is mentally qualified to own that gun. I'm being serious. Look, just like me, we go around talking about people who own guns. I am the guy who originally wrote the assault weapons ban, that became law, and then we got defeated and then Dianne Feinstein went to town on it and did a great job.
BIDEN: Look, we should be working with law enforcement, right now, to make sure that we protect people against people who don't -- are not capable of knowing what to do with a gun because they're either mentally imbalanced and/or because they have a criminal record, and...
COOPER: Time.
BIDEN: Anyway...
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: We got one more question. Before...
BIDEN: ... I hope he doesn't come looking for me.