Ethics & Religion
February 22, 2018
Column #1,905
Gun Legislation Finally Possible
By Mike McManus
For the first time in decades, there is hope Congress will pass laws
to reduce gun violence.
First, President Trump met with six students and parents from Parkland,
Florida where 17 students were killed. Though he is an ardent NRA
supporter, he promised to be "very strong on background checks."
Cary Gruber, father of a Parkland student implored the President, "If
you can't buy a beer, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun." Trump
indicated he supported age restrictions for buying assault weapons.
Julia Cordover, student body president at the Parkland school, tearfully
told the President that she "was lucky enough to come home from school,"
and added, "I am confident you will do the right thing."
The day before his White House meeting, Trump directed the Justice
Department to move to ban devices like the rapid fire "bump stocks" used
to speed up the firing of assault weapons, making them virtual machine
guns in last year's Las Vegas massacre of 58 people. The White House
also indicated the President was looking at a bill that would strengthen
background checks.
However, Sen. Diane Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary
Committee, said the Federal Government lacks the authority under current
law to ban bump stocks. She noted that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives has repeatedly said it lacks authority to do so,
undermining Trump's recent conversion.
Throughout the day on Wednesday, TV news aired footage of student
survivors of the violence marching on the Florida state Capitol, calling
for tougher laws. Three buses from the Parkland school went to
Tallahassee, the state capital. However, as they were on the road,
Florida legislators swiftly rejected an effort to debate an assault
weapons ban. Republican legislators voted it down on a straight
party-line vote.
Republicans indicated they would consider a more modest proposal to
raise the minimum age to buy assault weapons, such as the AR-15.
Yet the atmosphere among students was optimistic. "This shooting is
different from the other ones," said Daniel Bishop, 16, one of the bus
riders. "At Sandy Hook, they were elementary school kids. Virginia Tech
was 2007, a different time zone. But this one, I just have a gut
feeling- something is going to change."
His sister, Julia Bishop, 18, who sat next to Daniel on the bus,
asserted, "We definitely have a moral obligation to do something,
considering that so many innocent people we know have passed. These
adults, these politicians, these lawmakers, these legislators - they
were supposed to protect us. And they didn't."
What's truly remarkable is that students have become passionate about
the gun issue in many cities without a recent tragedy. Underage protests
popped up in Bakersfield, CA, Toms River, NJ, Battle Creek, MI, in Iowa
City - and across the whole South.
What has united spontaneous protests from students across America - are
the impassioned pleas of young Parkland survivors.
In Bakersfield, CA a dozen students were joined by 80 adults to march on
President's Day in support of stricter gun laws. On the same day, more
than 200 students marched out of school in Iowa City and walked to the
Old Capitol downtown.
What gun control reforms are most needed?
First, the sales of weapons created for war, such as the AR-15 should be
banned altogether. It is not enough to simply raise the age for purchase
from 18 to 21. AR-15s are not designed for hunting - but to kill as many
people as quickly as possible.
In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump wrote, "I generally
oppose gun control, but I support a ban on assault weapons and I also
support a slightly longer waiting period for purchase of a gun."
Second, much tighter federal background checks for gun purchases should
be universal. At least a fifth and perhaps a third of gun sales are not
made by licensed gun dealers but are purchased at gun shows without
background checks - or, even worse, on line.
The Sandy Hook massacre of 20 children and 6 adults prompted Connecticut
to pass
tough background checks and banned weapons with more than 10 bullets,
and barred sales of 150 high capacity weapons. The result: a drop of
Connecticut gun homicides from an average of 92 per year to only 53
killings in 2016.
Mandatory comprehensive background checks and the banning of sales of
high capacity weapons will save thousands of lives.
We must thank students for their "Never Again" campaign. One held a
poster, GUNS DON'T DIE. Another: OUR BLOOD - YOUR HANDS.
___________________________________
Copyright (c) 2018 Michael J. McManus,
President of Marriage Savers and a syndicated columnist. For previous
columns go to
www.ethicsandreligion.org. Hit
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