On Tuesday, Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas was gunned down. It was the second-deadliest shooting in a school since 1970. However, in the wake of Columbine and Parkland and Sandy Hook, the advocates for national gun control measures like universal background checks or banning assault rifles have met with political reality that has impeded these efforts from moving forward.
Some elected officials suggested that there might be legislative changes in the wake of the shooting at Uvalde. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that he would like Republican senators, such as John Cornyn from Texas, to work with Democrats in order to reach a common understanding on a legislative solution to the shooting. Despite years of disagreements over gun violence solutions after deadly shootings across America, there have been no major reforms.
Bob Spitzer, author of The Politics of Gun Control, stated that “I believe the probability the Senate will act on this matter is still vanishingly low, but it is not zero.” “It’s unclear to me why Mitch McConnell would want that to happen… but it’s possible just because of the atmospherics right now.”
In the past, Republican legislators have always said that they would not support measures restricting firearm rights. Several GOP lawmakers reiterated this sentiment in recent days.
“Guns don’t cause the problem. … We’ve had guns forever. We’ll continue to have guns,” said Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican Senator.
Still, legislators like Democratic Senator Chris Murphy are optimistic.
Murphy said that he was a fool for being an eternal optimist but that he would just keep going for the next few days and the next week.
It is possible to pass major gun control measures at the federal level. This has been done in the past. Gun control advocates also point out more pieces of progress that were passed at the state level in the past decade. However, gun rights have become a more contentious topic in Washington over the past few decades.
Here are some political obstacles that prevented the debate from moving to action.
A divided Congress cannot take action on gun violence even if there is public support. This is why there are often calls for executive authority to exercise its authority. While past presidents have taken steps to curb gun violence on their own, major reforms require Congress’ legislative approval. After the Las Vegas shooting, Trump exempted bump stocks from his administration. However, legislation to do the same has never been enacted in Congress.
President Biden signed several executive orders to combat ghost guns and braces for AR-15 pistols so far in his presidency. Former President Barack Obama took executive actions to tighten gun purchase regulations. Experts point out, however, that these actions did not in fact reduce mass shootings.
Executive actions can also be reversed by the next administration. Trump revoked Obama’s order, which made it more difficult for people with mental illness to buy weapons, when he took office in 2017.
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided on two gun rights cases in recent years that effectively extended its interpretation of Amendment 2, which enshrines right to bear arms.
The court decided for the first time in 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller that an individual has the right to keep a gun in their home. The court cited Heller in the McDonald’s v. City of Chicago case of 2010. It ruled that local and state gun control laws must respect this right.
Spitzer claims that, despite the court’s Heller ruling, it did not set a precedent for loosening gun restrictions. Spitzer stated that a Supreme Court opinion involving a New York State law could have the potential of broadening gun rights.
This case challenges the state’s “proper Cause Law” which requires that anyone applying for a concealed weapon license outside their home must show that they have a clear need for self-defense aEUR or that they are going hunting or practicing target shooting. The conservative majority appeared ready to repeal New York’s law after hearing the case in November. Similar restrictions are in place in several other states for the carrying of guns in public.
Spitzer stated, “I believe they’re going redefine gun rights by expanding it to outside of the home in some way.”
Gun Owners of America and the NRA, both pro-gun rights groups, have spent millions of dollars lobbying and contributing to candidates they believe are on their side of this debate. Most of these candidates were Republicans.
The NRA spent $16 million to support Trump in the 2020 presidential election. It spent more than $12,000,000 on congressional races, surpassing the direct spending of gun control groups.
The NRA has been a blocker of gun control legislation for decades. They also have impeded research into the harmful effects of owning guns.
In addition to policy barriers, the unending stream of mass shootings in America has created a culture in which gun violence is accepted as normal. Peter Ambler from Giffords’ gun control advocacy group, stated that it has created a culture of despair.
He stated that hopelessness is one of the biggest barriers to progress. “Hopelessness paralyzes the response.”
Although the political debate about how to respond to Uvalde’s shooting has begun, gun control advocates groups have already sent a message to Congress that gun violence is a national health crisis and must be addressed.
“Our policy solutions must start from a public-health perspective.” That means that we cannot just focus on firearms and hardware. Greg Jackson, executive director of Community Justice Action Fund and a survivor of gun violence, spoke to NPR.
While these efforts are helpful, the truth is that we still have 400 million guns in this country. There are more guns than people. Jackson stated that many neighborhoods, like mine, are already flooded with guns. Jackson suggested that we need to develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing violence.
His organization has already communicated the message to Congressional leaders including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that bills focusing on regulation gun control and crime prevention aren’t the only way to stop violence. He urges the public and lawmakers to consider combating gun violence as something that can also be addressed on other fronts, such as by addressing traumas and other root causes of violence.
He stated, “If we focus on the Second Amendment debate only, then we’re simplifying this issue.” “There are many legislative options that could be considered at this time, if they’re not already.”
Did you know that audio stories are also available? Listen to No Compromise, the Pulitzer-prize-winning investigation into gun rights debate on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
