Obama to weigh up executive order on guns President Barack Obama will consider issuing executive orders to clamp down on the availability of guns, his deputy said on Wednesday, as the White House begins efforts to prevent shootings such as last month's Sandy Hook school rampage. Joe Biden, the vice-president, said that the administration would not "get caught up in the notion, unless we can do everything, we're going to do nothing," as he sat down with families of shooting victims and advocates of tighter gun controls. IN US Society "If our actions result in saving only one life, it's worth taking," Mr Biden said on Wednesday as he began the first of a series of meetings, adding that he believed thousands of people could be taken "out of harm's way." There [is] executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet, but we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney-general and all the rest of the cabinet members," Mr Biden said, adding that legislative action was also required. The administration is pushing for an assault weapon ban and restrictions on the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as closing loopholes that allow people to buy guns without undergoing a background check. Mr Biden's suggestion that the president might use the power of his office to take action is a sign of how politically difficult it will be to advance gun control legislation through Congress. While the clamour for action has grown louder since the Sandy Hook shootings, which left 20 children and six adults dead at the Connecticut elementary school, it remains one of the most sensitive political issues in the US. Many lawmakers fear the wrath of the National Rifle Association, the influential pro-gun lobby group that spent $20m during last year's election campaign. But both Mr Obama and Mr Biden, who has been selected to head the task force to reduce gun violence, have said that the issue can no longer be ignored just because it is difficult. In a sign of how public opinion is influencing the issue following Sandy Hook, Walmart, the discount retail chain and the US's largest gun retailer, on Wednesday performed an abrupt about-turn, saying that it would attend a meeting with Mr Biden on Thursday. The vice-president is due to sit down with gun owners" representatives, including James J. Baker, the NRA's director of federal relations, as well as the National Shooting Sports Foundation, on Thursday. Walmart had initially declined the White House's invitation to attend, saying its executives were needed at monthly sales meetings at its headquarters in Arkansas. However, after a public backlash, Walmart said they would attend. "We underestimated the expectation to attend the meeting on Thursday in person, so we are sending an appropriate representative to participate," said David Tovar, a Walmart spokesman, adding that company representatives had already spoken to the vice-president this week. "We take this issue very seriously and are committed to staying engaged in this discussion as the administration and Congress work toward a consensus on the right path forward," Mr Tovar said. In New York state, Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo was not waiting for federal action and was on Wednesday poised to propose one of the country's most restrictive bans on assault weapons. New York is one of seven states that bans some assault weapons but the governor, who has said the current law has "more holes than Swiss cheese," wants to increase the number of guns and magazines covered by the law, the New York Times reported. In his State of the State address, Mr Cuomo will also outline plans to make it harder for gunmakers to tweak their products to get around the ban, the paper reported.