House Democrats Are Fast-Tracking a Slew of Gun Laws

Back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have activated a sense of urgency for gun control--at least in one party, in one chamber of Congress.

By Ezinne Ukoha  |  May 31, 2022 | 6:15pm
NewsPolitics
House Democrats Are Fast-Tracking a Slew of Gun Laws
Image:Anna Moneymaker / Staff (Getty Images)

Mass shootings are now basically a daily occurrence in this country, and Congress has proven time and time again—most notably since the horrific 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary—that they are unable or unwilling to do anything about guns. But at least some members, after the recent shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, are trying to do something now: House Democrats are planning to vote on eight new gun control proposals, called the “Protecting Our Kids Act,” some time next week, in order to take advantage of the current (probably brief) spike in public support for gun laws.

Some of the key items include raising the legal age from 18 to 21 for buyers of semi-automatic rifles; banning the ability to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or carry large-capacity magazines; monitoring how gun owners store and house their firearms on their premises, and penalizing those who don’t comply.

Despite the House being out of session this week, the House Judiciary Committee called an emergency meeting to speed things along, demonstrating the sense of urgency the situation demands.

The House had already announced that it will vote next week on a “red flag” bill sponsored by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), which would “prevent those who pose a threat to themselves or others from being able to legally possess a firearm.”

McBath was elected to Congress after tragically losing her 17-year-old son to gun violence in 2012 and has been leading the Democrats’ charge for stricter gun laws.

Of course, none of these measures have a chance of passing the Senate, with Democrats like Joe Manchin (D-W. Va) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) refusing to scrap the filibuster so that their party might be able to pass anything without a 60-vote threshold. But it will be good, at least, to get each one of these assholes on record—again—saying they prioritize people’s right to own assault weapons over everyone else’s right to live.

 
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