Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek, Biden huddle on gun violence

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek was among a group of law enforcement officials that met with Vice President Joe Biden to talk about gun violence on Thursday.

During the meeting at the White House, Biden said he wanted to hear from law enforcement officers because they "know better than anyone else what's needed out there," according to The Associated Press.

Stanek told Tom Crann of All Things Considered that the consensus at the meeting, which also included members of President Barack Obama's cabinet, was that "something needs to change" in the wake of last week's shooting in Newtown, Conn.

"Policy makers need to address it. Law enforcement needs to address it. Parents and citizens of this country need to address it," Stanek said.

Biden has said that there is no reason that Congress could not renew the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. Stanek said the discussion with cabinet members and the vice president delved into broader topics than just gun control.

"We had a robust discussion on a number of issues surrounding gun violence, not just what would be an assault weapon ban and what does that look like," Stanek said. "I talked to him at length about the challenges dealing with the mentally ill, particularly in our jails, and what law enforcement officers have seen out in the street."

Obama chose Biden on Wednesday to lead a task force that will recommend ways to reduce gun violence in the country.