Public Pressure Mounts Over Guns, But For Deeply Divided Congress Will That Be Enough To Break Gridlock?
While some Republicans have signaled that they're open to some new gun measures, the contentious issue is still likely to roil Capitol Hill during a politically charged, and already busy, election year.
The New York Times:
Is This The Moment For Gun Control? A Gridlocked Congress Is Under Pressure
Lawmakers will return to Washington on Monday facing intense public pressure to break their decades-long gridlock on gun control, a demand fortified by a bipartisan group of governors calling for Congress to take action to protect against mass shootings. But even as members of both parties said it might be difficult for Congress to remain on the sidelines after the school massacre this month in Parkland, Fla., lawmakers have no clear consensus on even incremental changes to gun restrictions, let alone more sweeping legislation. (Gay Stolberg, Martin and Kaplan, 2/25)
The Washington Post:
More Governors Willing To Consider Gun Law Changes After Florida Shooting
A growing bipartisan number of state governors have joined calls for a reconsideration of gun laws and school safety measures after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., a sign that resulting legislative changes could extend far beyond Florida in the coming months. The impact of the shooting rippled through the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington this weekend, as state leaders expressed willingness to consider new limits on gun ownership and stepped up efforts to address mental-health factors. But most said they were opposed to President Trump’s proposal to allow more teachers to be armed. (Scherer and Balz, 2/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Blumenthal Law Would Take Guns From Those Judged To Be Threats
Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for a federal law Sunday allowing law-enforcement officials to take away people’s guns if a judge rules they are a threat to themselves or others. Connecticut passed such a law in 1999 following a shooting at the Connecticut Lottery Corp. in which a gunman killed four people. (de Avila, 2/25)
The Associated Press:
Governors Push Bipartisan National Health Care Compromise
A bipartisan group of governors working to strike compromise on hot-button policy issues took on the question of health care on Friday. Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in presenting the group's blueprint for policy changes at the National Press Club, lamented that one of the country's largest challenges seems to have been set aside by policymakers."It's like health care doesn't even matter anymore down here," he said. (2/23)
The New York Times:
Trump Blames Video Games For Mass Shootings. Researchers Disagree.
President Trump said Thursday that violent video games and movies may play a role in school shootings, a claim that has been made — and rejected — many times since the increase in such attacks in the past two decades. Movies are “so violent,” Mr. Trump said at a meeting on school safety one day after he gathered with survivors of school shootings, including some from last week’s massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where, the authorities say, a former student, Nikolas Cruz, killed 17 people with a semiautomatic rifle. (Salam and Stack, 2/23)