Vice President Joe Biden is slated to travel to Connecticut this week to deliver remarks at a conference on gun violence about 12 miles from Newtown, Conn.

Chris Murphy, Connecticut's newly elected Democratic senator, told reporters on a conference call today that Biden's visit will help Newtown heal after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that sparked a national debate over gun control.

"We have not had a comprehensive forum to explain to the Newtown community and to the people in Connecticut the changes we're thinking about making in Washington," Murphy said, noting that most of the discussion about guns in Connecticut has centered on changes to state law.

"The conference is going to be really important, both in terms of its role in the community's recovery process, as well as in the community's role in the educational process in this issue," Murphy told reporters on a conference call organized to release polling figures critical of the National Rifle Association.

Attendees have not been announced, and Murphy said the full list is being finalized. Murphy will host the event along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Elizabeth Etsy, both Democrats from Connecticut.