Congress faces paralysis on guns in wake of Las Vegas shooting spree
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A motion graphic explaining how the events unfolded when Stephen Paddock opened fire from his hotel room on concert goers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Ramon Padilla, Janet Loehrke George Petras, Jim Sergent USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Another mass shooting, another round of calls for legislative action.
But despite all the thoughts and prayers, Congress — in the words of Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut — can’t seem to “get off its ass.â€
Background checks for firearms sales are popular among Americans, including National Rifle Association members, yet proposals to expand them haven’t gotten anywhere, as Republicans in Congress have demurred.
And even NRA-backed legislation, like the deregulation of silencers, faces an uphill climb in the Senate despite a Republican majority and a GOP president who says he is a proponent of the Second Amendment.
Congress is divided, yes, but a mix of philosophical differences and — some say — the NRA’s deep pockets drive a special type of intransigence on this issue.
“We are stuck,†said Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., vice chairwoman of the Democratic Caucus, voicing the frustration of the minority party’s inability to control the floor schedule or convene hearings. “We have asked time and time again our Republican counterparts to please engage in this discussion of, ‘How do we stop gun violence,’ and they are completely unwilling to do anything to help us move forward on that issue.â€
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Democrats are calling for passage of expanded background checks legislation and they want GOP leaders to appoint a bipartisan select committee on gun violence to address gun violence.
But Republicans weren’t keen on talking about gun policy in the wake of Sunday’s shooting in Las Vegas, the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
“Look, the investigation’s not even been completed,†Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday when asked whether he could support a ban on equipment that allows individuals to convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic ones. “And I think it’s premature to be discussing legislative solutions if there are any.â€
House Speaker Paul Ryan, meanwhile, on Tuesday highlighted GOP efforts to reform mental health programs as a response to gun violence.
“I think it’s important that, as we see the dust settle and we see what was behind some these tragedies, that mental health reform is a critical ingredient to making sure that we can try and prevent some of these things from happening,†the Wisconsin Republican said. That is basically the same approach Ryan proposed in 2015 after two shooters killed 14 people at a social service center in San Bernardino, Calif.
Inertia wasn’t always the congressional response to gun violence.
Congress found a way in 1934 to pass the National Firearms Act, regulating silencers and machine guns during the gangland crime era.
In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton signed a 10-year ban on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines, as well as mandatory federal background checks for firearm purchases from federally licensed dealers.
But gun rights advocates lobbied against a “slippery slope†that would lead to guns being confiscated, twice preventing legislation to expand background checks from advancing in the Senate following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 and the San Bernardino attack. The proposed bill in both cases would have included sales by unlicensed dealers at gun shows and over the Internet.
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Lawmakers from both parties continue to work toward passing similar legislation. But the gun lobby’s influence is clearly an obstacle.
Gun-rights interests gave candidates, parties and outside spending groups $37 million between 1989 and 2006, with 88% of the funds contributed to candidates and parties going to Republicans, according to OpenSecrets.org.
The NRA spent more than $30 million in support of President Trump’s candidacy.
“The reason we don’t have gun safety measures in the United States today is because of the NRA,†said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “We will defeat them.â€
But Democrats aren’t pushing gun control as a centerpiece of their campaign efforts. They are focusing instead on a package of economic proposals, called “A Better Deal,†to help win back seats in 2018.
“While for some members, gun violence will be a platform that they will talk a lot about, we want to emphasize the fact that Democrats have and always will continue to stand with working families,†Sanchez said.
Following the Las Vegas shooting, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee announced it would begin sending fundraising emails to its 1 million members for lawmakers who “stand up” to the NRA.
“We have to fight back against the NRA’s scare tactics,†said Kait Sweeney, PCCC’s press secretary. “That’s why the PCCC is incentivizing and rewarding political leaders who are calling for action.â€
Gun rights advocates believe they are in a good position to advance a pro-gun agenda with the Republican Congress and Trump, who says he’s a gun owner with a concealed carry permit and regularly talks about protecting Second Amendment rights. In February, he signed legislation overturning a rule barring gun ownership for some who have been deemed mentally impaired.
But the gun lobby still awaits action on its top priorities, and the Las Vegas shooting has clouded the agenda.
Congress has been working on legislation to allow people with concealed carry permits, from states with little or no requirements, to carry their weapons into to other states with stricter rules.
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Sean Bean, of Livermore, Calif., hugs his girlfriend, Katie Kavetski, of San Leandro, Calif., left, as Travis Reed, of Mexico, Ind., right, comforts his girlfriend, Anna Travnicek, second from right, on Las Vegas Strip. All attended the concert where the mass shooting occurred.Â
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“The underlying question is, Should you lose your right to defend yourself when you cross the state line?†Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s lobbying arm, told USA TODAY last spring. “This is our number one legislative priority.â€
Another NRA-backed bill would make it easier to get “silencers†by removing them from the National Firearms Act, though buyers would still have to pass an instant background check. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., an avid shooter, says silencers are about safety and hearing protection and should be easier to obtain.
Guns equipped with silencers still make a loud noise. But Democrats have ramped up their fight against the bill following the shooting, arguing that suppressing the noise of gunfire is dangerous.
The bill doesn’t stand a chance of overcoming a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. Its best chances are in the House, but Ryan isn’t in any hurry to get to it.
“That bill’s not scheduled now,†he said Tuesday. “I don’t know when it’s going to be scheduled. Right now, we’re focused on passing our budget.â€
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen
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