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force to tackle gun violence  December 19, 2012|By Kathleen
Hennessey  WASHINGTON -- Announcing his first steps in response
to the Newtown, Conn., school massacre, President Obama on
Wednesday charged a task force with drawing up a list of
proposals to reduce gun violence across the nation and urged
Congress to hold votes on gun control legislation early in the
new year.  Obama ordered the task force to return its
recommendations "no later than January" and vowed to use the
full force of his office to push for the proposals. Vice
President Joe Biden will lead the group, which includes members
of Obama's Cabinet, representatives of pertinent interest
groups, law enforcement officials and gun rights advocates.  "We
may never know all the reasons why this tragedy happened," Obama
said as he announced the effort in the White House briefing
room. "We do know that every day since, more Americans have died
of gun violence. We know such violence has terri