My advice for Vice President Biden: We have banned "assault style" guns, high capacity magazines and have declared many "gun free zones" in our history. Data clearly show, these actions have had little to no effect on the crimes we've recently seen when those bans were in effect. I suggest reviewing the results of the studies from the VA Tech shooting that indicate that the "gun free zone" was one of the attractions of that killer, it was a place he knew he would not be challenged (this has also been validated in other "gun free zone" shooting studies). Police officers that have attended the briefings of these government/law enforcement studies no longer promote these zones. I suspect the Naval Observatory doesn't have a "Gun Free Zone" sign in your front yard either as it would surely attract more mischievousness than is currently dealt with by the Secret Service.
In order to carry concealed, in Idaho (each State determines their own requirements), one must attend handgun training and show competency to carry. The final determination is made by the local Sheriff after background checks have been completed. One doesn't have to be a "professional" to properly learn how to manage handgun safety and the proper use of a gun, you just need to be educated that these are not video game toys and that pulling a trigger in "real life" has serious consequence.
Since 9-11, we have ALLOWED Pilots, with the proper vetting and training, to carry a gun in the cockpit of the planes we fly daily and haven't had a highjacking or killing on a plane since. The effect of having an unknown threat that someone else might be able to match a "bad guy's" threat is proven through sound study after study that it is one of the most effective means of stopping these types of crimes. Many don't realize it, but Police carry a gun to protect themselves, not you, and few crimes with guns happen in their presence. Maybe we should use them as another example of what works? ALLOWING our trusted Teachers, Professors and educational staff to go through the proper vetting and training and then carrying a handgun for personal protection is no different that what we now have successfully done in the air with our Pilots...
There are hundreds of published incidences where the proper vetting/training and concealed carry by average citizens stopped what could have been similar massacres. The person that tackled the shooter in the Gabby Gifford shooting was carrying and wisely elected not to use his gun when he had viable, safer alternative choices. Preliminary reports indicate in the recent shooting in the OR mall was stopped after the shooter had killed two people and then saw someone else, who had a concealed carry permit, had pointed their handgun at him... At which time he elected to take his own life. Who knows how many lives have been saved by these people that voluntarily had some simple training on the do' and don'ts of safely owning a gun.
History is a great teacher Mr. Vice President, little need to re-invent the wheel here, look at what has worked and what has not in deterring/limiting crimes and leverage those processes and actions that have worked. While at the same time, we search for the real cause of the mentally confused that seem intent to do harm others... or make this a political "feel good" solution that doesn't focus on the core issue of mental illness and bad societal influences, it's now your call.
http://chumly.com/n/18e43bc