VP Joe Biden on Illinois race: An ‘unequivocal’ mandate for gun control

The Democratic primary win of Robin Kelly – whose signature issue is gun control — is a mandate for the federal government to tighten restrictions on Second Amendment rights, said Vice President Joe Biden.

Ms. Kelly was elected to the Democratic ticket for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s House seat on Tuesday. Her campaign was funded to the tune of $2 million from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Independence USA super PAC, who is vowing himself to tackle gun control on a nationwide scale. Ms. Kelly still faces a general election in April — but she is a shoe-in, given the majority Democratic make-up of her district.

SEE RELATED: Democratic nominee in Illinois warns NRA: Your days ‘are coming to an end’

Wednesday, Mr. Biden used that election win as a springboard to push for more federal action on gun control.

“The voters sent a message last night, not just to the NRA but to the politicians all around the country by electing Robin Kelly, who stood up and stood strong for gun safety totally consistent with our Second Amendment rights,” he said, to a group of state attorneys general in Washington, D.C., as reported by NBC.

Mr. Biden said to delay further on gun policy reform would be morally wrong.

She sent an “unequivocal message,” he said, according to NBC. “The message is there will be a moral price as well as apolitical price to be paid for inaction,”

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.