Today, 11/14/19, another headline blared across my phone. SANTA CLARITA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING LEAVES 2 DEAD. All too quickly, Americans have become accustomed to these headlines, growing desensitized as 84 school shootings have rocked the country just in the last year alone.
And time and time again, after each of these horrific tragedies, the same ferocious debate over gun control rises. Democrats cry for harsher gun reform, while Republicans, often backed by large interest organizations like the NRA, resist any change in gun legislation. Through several attempts, the Democrats held House of Representatives was able to pass legislation requiring universal background checks on all gun sales, but the bill has stalled in the Senate as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to consider this bill until today. Senator Chris Murphy of CT brought the proposal to the Senate floor for "unanimous consent", the idea that if there is a unanimous vote to pass a bill in the senate it can skip the debate and committee process that often lead to its failure and expedite the process of making it legislation. However, as the name suggests, a single vote against this call for unanimous consent will fail the bill.
When Senator Murphy brought this bill to the Senate floor AS the shooting was occuring, a single senator blocked the bill from passing, as Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked all consideration for the bill in the Republican Party, stating "Many questions about this legislation need to be answered before it's forced upon law-abiding gun owners".
As frustrating as this is, it serves to highlight some of the bigger issues at play and why legislation surrounding gun control can never seem to get passed. Lobbying groups like the NRA hold enormous power of Senators like Hyde-Smith and McConnell and stop the chance of gun control legislation ever passing the Senate. These lobbying groups supersede the wishes of the people, where nearly 95% of Americans support universal background checks, and nearly 65% of Americans believe gun violence stems from ease of access.
Given recent events such as the Santa Clarita shooting and the constant protests for more gun control, I think it is fitting that you brought up this topic concerning the difficulty in passing legislation due to the lack of bipartisan approval in recent years. This reminds me of when we discussed Iron Triangles in class because of the considerable influence of interest groups in the prevention of the bill's passing in Senate. I agree with you in that it is frustrating that we have not been successful in passing any gun control legislation because of the way our government is structured.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very frustrating that none of these bills are getting passed and it seems like the government isn't doing anything to fix this gun problem. However, I think that it's important to note that there are always going to be other ways to get guns. Back when we watched that documentary on the gun laws, we saw how there were absolutely no background checks when people went and bought guns from gun shows. Also, there are people who can use 3D printers to create their own parts of guns and buy the rest. I'm sure there are many other ways to get around these laws as well. I do think something has to change I just don't know what and how.
ReplyDeleteSource: Gun laws documentary