{"id":570882,"date":"2023-04-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/democrats-vow-fight-on-gun-reform-but-dont-expect-any-wins\/"},"modified":"2023-04-19T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T10:00:00","slug":"democrats-vow-fight-on-gun-reform-but-dont-expect-any-wins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/democrats-vow-fight-on-gun-reform-but-dont-expect-any-wins\/","title":{"rendered":"#Democrats vow fight on gun reform, but don\u2019t expect any wins"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/quigleymike_010523gn_w.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In the wake of America\u2019s latest school massacre, House Democrats are pushing once again for tougher checks on firearms and new limits on who can own them.<\/p>\n<p>But as Congress returns to Washington this week following a long spring recess, even some of Capitol Hill\u2019s most ardent gun reformers say they don\u2019t expect\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2023\/03\/27\/us\/nashville-shooting-covenant-school\">last month\u2019s tragedy at an elementary school<\/a> in Nashville, Tenn.,\u00a0\u2014 where a lone suspect shot and killed three adults and three children \u2014 to spur Congress to pass any new gun constraints, given the near-unanimous opposition from Republicans in both chambers.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The groundwork for inaction was laid \u2014 and the pessimism fueled, Democrats said \u2014 by the gruesome shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a lone gunman killed 26 people \u2014 including 20 schoolchildren \u2014 in 2012. If that wasn\u2019t enough to spur GOP action, they contend, then neither is Nashville.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the least cynical person in this building. But you know, Sandy Hook h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened 20 miles from my house, and I thought: this changes everything. And of course, it changed very little,\u201d Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said. \u201cI\u2019m just devastated that these things are just going to keep happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), another longtime gun reform proponent, sounded similarly fatalistic, saying Democrats can promote tougher gun laws through \u201cacts of defiance and messaging.\u201d But in the end, Republicans will sink any reform effort, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they didn\u2019t do anything after Sandy Hook, what makes us think they\u2019re going to do anything now?\u201d Quigley said.<\/p>\n<p>The tone of resignation has grown familiar in the halls of Congress as the horrors of epidemic mass shootings have repeatedly met the political realities of Capitol Hill, where Republicans are virtually united against any new restrictions on the sale and ownership of firearms.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP opposition runs counter to the sentiments of voters \u2014\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/morningconsult.com\/2021\/03\/10\/house-gun-legislation-background-checks-polling\/\">even Republicans<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 who are\u00a0overwhelmingly in favor\u00a0of tailored reforms like an expansion of background checks to screen out potentially violent people, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/factchecks\/2022\/may\/25\/steve-kerr\/polls-consistently-show-high-support-gun-backgroun\/\">according to\u00a0numerous<\/a>\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2021\/09\/13\/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns\/\">public opinion polls<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>With that in mind, Democrats\u00a0are planning a strategy\u00a0to promote a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of gun reforms in the coming weeks \u2014 including background checks, an assault weapons ban, red flag laws, and others \u2014\u00a0in an effort to pressure GOP leaders to bring the popular proposals to the floor this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Democrats, as the House minority, have few tools at their disposal. But they\u2019re\u00a0eyeing a procedural gambit, known as a discharge petition, which empowers a simple House majority \u2014 218 members \u2014 to force votes on bills the Speaker refuses to consider.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Given the Republicans\u2019 slim majority, that means Democrats would need only five GOP lawmakers to endorse the petition. Lending them a boost, a Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), is the lead sponsor of the background check proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Still, only\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/202175\">eight Republicans<\/a>\u00a0had voted in favor of that bill in the last Congress, and several of those lawmakers have since retired, including Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.). The numbers have left even the most enthusiastic gun reformers to predict that the discharge petition is likely doomed from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPretty hard to count to five [Republicans] in that group; I can count to two or three,\u201d Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said just after the Nashville shooting. \u201cLots of interest, lots of emotion. But the math is a problem in this House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked if he thought five Republicans might sign a discharge petition, Quigley was similarly pessimistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cNo. Sad but true,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can talk about it, you can use a discharge petition, you can try any procedural thing you want,\u201d he added. \u201cThe culture is so different; it\u2019s two different worlds here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Congress is no stranger to the fight over guns \u2014\u00a0a perennial debate that ebbs and flows with the arrival of mass shootings that have grown to epidemic levels and impacted every facet of public life, including schools around the country where live-shooter drills are now routine. In 2020, guns became\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2022\/12\/14\/magazine\/gun-violence-children-data-statistics.html#:~:text=Gun%20violence%20recently%20surpassed%20car,of%20death%20for%20American%20children.\">the leading cause of death<\/a> among children in America, surpassing car accidents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Nashville tragedy occurred on March 27, when a 28-year-old armed with three guns \u2014 including two military-style semi-automatic rifles \u2014 entered a private Christian elementary school in an upscale neighborhood and killed three children and three adults, according to authorities. The shooter was shot and killed by police on site.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Last year, after another mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Congress took the rare step of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/06\/25\/us\/politics\/gun-control-bill-biden.html\">adopting a slate of new gun reforms<\/a>, including provisions to boost mental health funding, encourage states to adopt red-flag laws, and expand background checks for buyers under age 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet the package excluded the Democrats\u2019 favored reform proposals \u2014 \u201cNothing to do with serious background checks or assault weapons,\u201d Quigley lamented \u2014 and there\u2019s no similar appetite among Republicans to return to the issue now with the 2024 presidential election on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Instead, GOP leaders are focusing on the mental health element of gun violence, while calling for armed law enforcers to be installed at every school in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt just seems like on the other side, all they want to do is take guns away from law-abiding citizens before they even know the facts,\u201d House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was nearly killed during a mass shooting on a baseball field in 2017,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/after-school-shooting-familiar-arguments-biden-lawmakers\/story?id=98187238\">said after the Nashville tragedy<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about the need to improve mental health in this country, and that\u2019s been a driver of a lot of these shootings as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at an annual summit of the National Rifle Association in Indianapolis last Friday, a number of GOP presidential hopefuls \u2014 including former President Trump, former Vice President Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis \u2014\u00a0also rejected the notion that easy access to guns is fueling gun violence. Instead, they\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/04\/14\/pence-calls-for-quick-execution-of-mass-shooters-at-nra-summit-00092136\">advocated\u00a0for arming teachers<\/a>, institutionalizing those with mental illness and mandating the swift execution of mass shooters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who leads the GOP field by a long shot, boasted that he was \u201cthe most pro-gun\u201d president in the country\u2019s history, and he vowed to continue that tradition if voters return him to the White House at the polls next year.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWith your support in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again,\u201d Trump said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It remains unclear how the GOP\u2019s strategy of leaning into their gun-rights message post-Nashville will play at the polls in 2024. But in the meantime, it\u2019s only heightened the sense among Democrats that any action on guns likely won\u2019t see the light of day in the current Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, when Republicans are\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/tennessee-andy-ogles-responds-critics-christmas-card-family-guns\/\">sending Christmas cards<\/a>\u00a0with their seven-year-olds holding AR-15s,\u201d Himes said, \u201cthe nation is sick.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/3956867-democrats-vow-fight-on-gun-reform-but-dont-expect-any-wins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the wake of America\u2019s latest school massacre, House Democrats are pushing once again for tougher checks on firearms and new limits on who can own them. But as Congress returns to Washington this week following a long spring recess, even some of Capitol Hill\u2019s most ardent gun reformers say they don\u2019t expect\u00a0last month\u2019s tragedy&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":570883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/quigleymike_010523gn_w.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134353,90482,124783,142561,137980,134351,71525,4947,134345],"class_list":["post-570882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-court-battles","tag-house","tag-international","tag-jim-himes","tag-mike-quigley","tag-morning-report","tag-national-security","tag-opinion","tag-state-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}