In a meeting that devolved into opinionated bickering and emotionally charged speeches, the House Judicial Committee advanced several bills to harden the gun laws. It is the 1st action by lawmakers aiming for a statutory solution to the three mass shootings that have caught the attention of the nation in a span of three weeks.
The Democratic-led panel called it the ‘Protecting Our Kids Act,’ and the legislation was passed 25-19 along expected party lines. It is sure to fall flat on its face in the Senate as both parties have 50 seats each and the gun bills will require 60 ballots to progress.
The bipartisan senators in the committee continue to engage in negotiations to find mutual ground on methods to control shootouts and push the gun bills through. Several members have expressed hopefulness about arriving at a compromise on a plan that would have the support of both the Democrats and the Republicans.
Gun Bills Will Likely Fall Flat As NRA Calls The Shots On Gun Issues In Congress
But House Democrats have insisted that swift action is necessary to react to the mass shootings recently even as the House Judiciary Committee came back from the 2-week recess in Congress and mounted its 1st attempt to legislate following the distressing massacre at Uvalde preceded by the racist attack in Buffalo that killed 10 people, mostly Blacks.
This week four more people, including two doctors, were shot dead by a patient wielding an automatic rifle, apparently not satisfied with the quality of treatment.
The gun bills proposed by the panel include a bunch of 8 bills that aim to raise the age for semiautomatic rifles purchased from 18 to 21, stop the sale of large-capacity magazines, incentivize the safe storage of firearms, establish requirements for storing guns at homes, and look into the regulatory prohibition on semi-automatic rifle bump stocks that allow guns to fire rapidly.
But there are no moves to ban automatic and semi-automatic guns the gun bills. And with a large section of politicians, mostly Republicans, on the payroll of the National Rifle Association, it is unlikely that any major move will take place that would be more than mere cosmetic legislation.
Republicans remain adamant that schools and other establishments should be fortified and protected by armed guards instead of moving towards any form of gun control.
