Mayor's office working with White House on gun control proposals

The White House is working with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's staff on its plans to get guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

The mayor's office confirmed that his advisers have been in talks with Vice President Joe Biden's group that is devising a plan to curb gun violence, which will be presented to Congress, in the wake of the school massacre in Connecticut. The Washington Post reported the group is considering ideas that would require better background checks and prevent people with histories of mental illness from legally obtaining a weapon, measures that the mayor has been strongly advocating following the Sandy Hook shooting.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office said the reported proposals don't go far enough because it leaves out a major factor behind the mass shootings: assault rifles.

"Any gun policy that does not ban assault weapons ignores the reality of gun violence and insults the common sense of New Yorkers," Cuomo's spokesman Josh Vlasto said in a statement Sunday.

Other proposed plans included a database that would track weapons sales and movement and penalties for anyone who carries guns near schools, according to the Washington Post. Biden's group aims to get the support of retailers that sell guns, like Wal-Mart, the report said.

When asked if Congress will entertain new gun regulation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that lawmakers needed to see Biden's recommendations.

"There will be plenty of time to take a look at their recommendations once they come forward," he said.

Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, an NRA member, said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopolous" that the reported proposals were "way in extreme" and would not pass. (with Reuters)