This week, or perhaps next, the Senate will pass a gun violence control bill. I cannot believe that a filibuster will be upheld. With any luck, the bill will contain a strong universal background check provision that has the backing of a significant number of Republicans. This will be necessary to create the cover John Boehner needs to introduce a bill on the House floor. The more GOP Senators who vote for the Senate version, the easier it will be rank and file House members to join the effort.
Another consideration is that the more Republicans vote for this legislation, the less likely we are to see the party itself pursue the lie that the government is seeking to confiscate people’s guns or create some kind of national gun registry. That’s important because arguments along those lines can incite some unstable people to commit acts of violence. We don’t want a law intended to prevent violence to perversely turn around and cause it. For this reason, it’s important that we have as much bipartisanship on this as possible.
I don’t expect any “bi-partisanship.”
I do. At least, I expect it on the filibuster. I think we will have a cloture vote that will delay things for about 2-3 days, but we’ll get cloture and a vote on the bill and many amendments. And something will pass on background checks, even if we consider it weak.
My first thought was to wonder if/what amendments the GOP manage to attach to it.
Should be interesting, an issue that apparently has massive support in public opinion meets the Do-Nothing Repub Congress.
So even Repubs may fear that “something must be done”. If so, their goal (and the NRA’s) is to ensure that the “something” be hopelessly inadequate and meaningless.
And what’s the Dem goal in the face of this? To pass anything that Repubs will allow no matter what the likely effectiveness? What’s the bare minimum below which a gun control bill cannot fall?
I like the “incitement to violence” argument concerning lies about gun regulation. Since such incitement is essentially all the NRA does.