Biden, Bloomberg renew call for gun laws

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NEW YORK, March 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the families of children shot in Newtown, Conn., called Thursday for new gun laws.

Biden told a news conference at New York City Hall Americans "have a responsibility to act," The Wall Street Journal reported.

"The loudest voices have to be for those beautiful babies," Biden said, referring to the 20 6- and 7-year-olds killed Dec. 14, along with six staffers, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. "The loudest voices have to be for those silenced voices, close to 3,000 since Newtown, gunned down on American streets, in homes, in neighborhoods."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said this week he will not include renewing the assault weapons ban in gun legislation to be submitted to Congress. Bloomberg and Biden called for an amendment to put the ban into the bill.

Neil Heslin, the parent of a child killed in Newtown, said at the news conference he is "really ashamed to see that Congress doesn't have the guts to stand up and make a change and put a ban on these type of weapons, and universal background checks and address the mental health issues that we have in this country."

Robbie and Alissa Parker -- whose daughter, Emilie, was killed at Newtown -- told CBS News Thursday they met with Peter Lanza, father of Newtown gunman Adam Lanza. The couple provided no details of the discussion but Alissa Parker said it the meeting with Peter Panza was something she "needed to do."