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Don't forget that Biden was supposed to have authored the '94 ban, & it passed.
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The political climate in 1993 was different than it was today. Not only did the Democrats have the Presidency, but also both houses of congress. Also, they lost congress the following year and President Clinton attributed that loss to the AWB. Finally, the role of a senator and that of Vice President are two very different things. Biden is a rather polarizing and partisan figure as are most VP's and the job of the VP, traditionally, has been to rally the base rather than reach across the aisle. Given that the Repubilcans still hold the House and the Democrats don't have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, there would have to be at least some Republican support for a new AWB and I can't help but think that if Obama really wanted to do something about gun control he would appoint someone with more bipartisan appeal to head the committee.