Gun-control proponents point to the rising number of mass shootings in the US as proof of the need for a major legislative overhaul.
The sense is on Capitol Hill that the more narrow and specific, the better – but we have to wait and see,” Republican analyst and onetime Capitol Hill aide Doug Heye told Al Jazeera.Īt the same time, the House of Representatives is taking up major legislation, including provisions to raise the age to buy certain semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, and to restrict the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines – but such measures have no chance of approval in the Senate. “We’ll have to see what the current group of senators produces and if it can pass. A total of 88 percent strongly or somewhat support background checks for all gun sales, including those at gun shows, and 67 percent strongly or somewhat support a ban on assault-style weapons, according to a Politico/Morning Consult survey conducted on May 25.
In the wake of the Uvalde massacre, polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support major gun reforms. “It’s a test of the federal government as to whether we can deliver at a moment of just fierce anxiety amongst the American public. “It’s frankly a test of democracy,” Murphy told CNN on Sunday. Senator Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator in the talks, said an agreement must be reached within the next five days because of a deadline set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “We are making rapid progress toward a common-sense package that could garner support from both Republicans and Democrats,” Republican Senator Susan Collins said in a statement last Wednesday. Senators involved in the talks have reported progress towards a possible agreement, but acknowledged a lot more work is ahead of them. “That would not be enough, and that would not be acceptable to Democrats,” Democratic strategist Maria Cardona told Al Jazeera. Modest reforms to background checks and increased spending on mental health and school safety are also under discussion. Instead, they are focused on narrower issues, such as “red flag” laws, which allow for the removal of firearms from anyone who may pose a danger to themselves or others. Ongoing talks on gun legislation among a group of Republican and Democratic senators are not contemplating major initiatives, such as banning assault rifles or raising the minimum age to buy one. The odds of meaningful reform are thus slim. “We have to as a nation collectively encourage them, demand them, implore them to step up, do their job, because that is what they were elected to do.”īut while the Uvalde shooting and other recent tragedies have sparked new bipartisan efforts to find agreement on gun-control measures, experts say any proposal would have to be limited in scope to pass both houses of Congress. “This is a very important moment,” said Barden, who cofounded the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund to push for solutions to prevent future mass shootings. A recent spate of mass shootings in the country, and especially the tragic killing of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, must be the catalyst for reforms, he told Al Jazeera. Washington, DC – Mark Barden has seen moments like this come and go – times when he thought the US Congress might finally pass gun reforms to thwart more mass killings.īut although none of these efforts have succeeded, Barden, who lost his seven-year-old son Daniel in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, remains optimistic that the time is near.
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