On March 7, Senate Democrats Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Bill Nelson (FL) cohosted a hearing titled, “America Speaks Out: Protecting Our Children from Gun Violence.” The senators heard testimony from survivors of the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, along with educators, activists, policy officers, and family members of victims of other mass shootings, including those at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and Virginia Tech.
Although Republican congressional leaders seem reuluctant to bring gun legislation to the floor in an election year, a number of bills have been introduced in recent weeks, and some may see action.
Background Checks. One measure that has 55 cosponsors and bipartisan support is S. 2135, the Fix NICS (National nstant Background Check System) Act. Proposed by Senators John Cornyn (TX-R) and Chris Murphy (CT-D), the bill aims to fix current gaps in the Federal background check database by:
- Establishing a new Domestic Abuse and Violence Prevention Initiative to better prevent those convicted of such crimes from obtaining weapons.
Publicly reporting Federal agencies that fail to upload relevant information to the system. - Establishing new measures to verify the accuracy of records already uploaded to the system.
Bump Stocks. In December 2017, more than two months after the shooting at the Las Vegas concert, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on bump stocks — attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire almost as fast as machine guns. The committee failed to act on related legislation, however.
On February 28, Senators Jeff Flake (AZ-R), Martin Heinrich (NM-D), and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV-D) introduced the BUMP (Banning Unlawful Machine Gun Parts) Act (S. 2475) to prohibit the sale of bump stock devices and similar mechanisms.
President Trump has indicated support for banning bump stocks, but wants to do it through regulation. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (IA-R) has said that he would consider a legislative ban if regulation “proves unsuccessful.”
Age Limit. Another proposal that has gained some traction is increasing the minimum age for nonmilitary gun purchases from 18 to 21. Senator Flake announced in late February that he was working on such legislation with Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA-D).
Under current Federal law, gun dealers can’t sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21, but can sell them “long guns,” which include rifles. Most States have similar age restrictions.
Assault Weapons Ban. Senator Feinstein has introduced S. 2095, to make it illegal to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic weapon or large-capacity ammunition feeding device. The bill is a version of the law that Congress allowed to expire 13 years ago. Senator Feinstein introduced similar legislation in 2012, after the Sandy Hook shooting. The Democrats, who controlled the Senate at the time, brought it up for a vote, but it was rejected, 40 to 60.
In addition, on March 14, the House, by a vote of 407 to 10, passed H.R. 4909, the Stop School Violence Act, sponsored by Representative John Rutherford (FL-R). The bill authorizes $500 million over 10 years for grants to improve training and coordination between schools and local law enforcement in responding to mental health crises. The money would also go toward developing anonymous reporting systems for threats and for such deterrents as metal detectors and locks.
For more background on gun law reform, see the March 2013 issue of Congressional Digest on “Gun Violence Prevention,” the November 1999 issue of Congressional Digest on “Firearms in America,” the April 2010 issue of of Supreme Court Debates on “Gun Control in the States,” and the May 2008 issue of Supreme Court Debates on “The Second Amendment.”
