what role should the federal government play in regard to gun control
What is the federal government doing on gun safety legislation?
Over the course of 24 hours, about thirty people were killed in two divide mass shootings this past weekend. The massacres spawned calls for government activeness for some measures to try to adjourn the nation'south gun violence epidemic.
In 2019 lone, in that location have been over 33,000 incidents of trigger-happy acts committed with guns, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) — a staggering statistic that shocks Republican and Autonomous lawmakers akin. But so far, they have not been able to concur on what would constitute meaningful gun safety protections.
Here's a look at just some of the measures that accept been floated in Congress and where they stand:
Crash-land Stock Ban:
In 2017, a gunman in Las Vegas was able to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in U.Southward. history in office because he modified his semiautomatic firearms to spray fire similar automated car guns with a device known as a bump stock. This was one of the few events that resulted in governmental action, though not by Congress.
In the wake of the shooting, which killed 58 people, the White House announced a rule that fully bans crash-land stock devices. The Justice Department in Dec 2018 amended the federal police prohibiting machine guns to include guns modified with bump stocks.
The measure has survived a legal challenge.In March, the Supreme Court declined to end the Trump administration from enforcing its ban on bump stock devices after gun rights groups chosen the move unconstitutional.
Extreme Risk protection guild / Scarlet Flag constabulary:
"Red flag" laws already enacted in several states allow courts to issue orders confiscating the guns of individuals who are deemed to be a run a risk to others or to themselves. The red flag proposals have garnered some of the almost bipartisan support in Congress.
Sometimes called "Extreme Risk protection guild" laws, "red flag" laws are designed to allow family members or law enforcement officials to go to a land court and ask a estimate to effect an order that confiscates the guns of an individual who they believe poses a threat to their safety.
Those seeking the restraining guild must present evidence to the court on why the individual poses a threat to others, as well as to himself or herself. If a judge agrees to write the society after belongings a hearing, the guns of the individual would be removed on a temporary basis.
In that location are currently 14 states which have implemented red flag laws, and more than 2 dozen legislatures considering a like measure.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the advocacy group backed past former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, points out that the law has been effective in reducing firearms suicide rates in Connecticut and in Indiana, which have both implemented the "Extreme Risk" constabulary.
The group also points out that the Extreme Risk police has been invoked at least four times in response to threats against schools in Maryland and in multiple cases in Florida.
GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of Southward Carolina favor the legislation and held a hearing on reddish flag laws in March. Graham again called on Congress to pass a ruby-red flag law after the El Paso shooting and vowed to reintroduce reddish flag legislation with Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. Rubio introduced an Extreme Gamble protection order bill in January, but the Senate has not nonetheless acted.
Assault Weapons Ban:
Across the lath, many lawmakers have pointed to a renewal of the 1994 ban on military-manner assail weapons as a step to addressing the nation's gun crisis. Assault weapons are semi-automated guns that expect like set on rifles used past the U.S. armed forces. One of the most popular is the AR-15, which has grown then popular that the National Burglarize Association (NRA) has dubbed it "America's rifle." It may be bonny to mass shooters considering it looks similar the guns used by soldiers.
The AR-15 was, in fact, the model of burglarize adapted by the U.S. military into its weapon of choice, the M-sixteen. But the M-16 has automated fire capability, which has been outlawed for civilians since 1934.
The AR-15 is a semi-automated weapon that fires in the same manner as whatsoever other semi-automatic weapon, although its small-quotient bullets are shot at a higher velocity and wreak more than impairment than bullets shot from a handgun. However, the gun's lethality tin exist increased by adding attachments similar loftier-capacity magazines and crash-land stocks.
One industry group estimated that U.S. citizens now own over viii 1000000 AR-fifteen rifles. Variants of the AR-fifteen, which can exist bought for effectually $i,000, were used in the San Bernardino, Newtown and Aurora shootings. As a consequence, some retailers have decided to stop selling the AR-15, just withal, many Democrats in Congress would like to renew the 1994 Attack Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004.
For now, much of the regulation has been on the local front, with states beyond the country enacting their own bans on assault-style weapons. In June 2016, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to state laws banning assault weapons and big-chapters magazines in New York and Connecticut. Those laws were enacted in response to the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary Schoolhouse in Newtown, Connecticut.
A full ban on set on weapons was introduced in Jan only has not been voted on in either the House or the Senate. A prior ban, which was enacted in 1994 under the Clinton administration, expired in 2004.
Groundwork checks:
Federal law currently mandates instant groundwork checks for individuals buying guns from licensed dealers, and if the results of the instant bank check are unclear, that time menstruation can be extended to iii days. People with federal or state permits exercise not have to comply with a waiting period. Background checks ostensibly bring up past offenses, but it's not ever the case that disqualifying information is entered into the federal databases, CBS News' Steven Portnoy points out.
To remedy this, Congress passed the FIX NICS bill last year, to press state and federal government — with both incentives and penalties — to accurately report criminal history to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Democrats would expand the background check system to private sales and lengthen the maximum time allowed for a background cheque to 10 business organization days. The House, which is controlled by Democrats, approved a neb with these measures in February, but the Senate has yet not taken it up.
The measure has go a rallying cry for Democrats, who say background checks could assistance prevent tragedies carried out past those suffering from apparent mental illness. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cited the House legislation equally grounds for calling the Senate dorsum to Washington for an emergency session. He predicted the House neb would pass in the Senate and the president would sign it.
The president, still, has threatened to veto both of the bills the House passed in February — even though he too encouraged Congress to pass "strong background checks" Monday.
Fifty-fifty under the Democratic version of the beak, if constabulary enforcement does not enter disqualifying information into the databases, a citizen who has no serious conviction or who has been "adjudicated every bit a mental defective" would pass the groundwork cheque, notes Portnoy.
The El Paso shooting suspect purchased his weapon legally, every bit did the Dayton shooter. "In that location's nothing in this individual's tape or history that would accept precluded him from purchasing this firearm," the Dayton Police Primary said Sun.
Video games to blame?
President Trump has specifically cited video games as a leading contributor to mass shooting events on Monday. Merely back in 2013, President Obama was likewise calling for Congress to devote funds to studying any links between guns and mass shootings.
In the wake of the Newtown shooting, Obama directed the Centers for Disease Control — through a $ten meg federal grant — to study the causes of gun violence with a shut look at the effects violent video games have on young minds. The CDC somewhen found that spending up to 5 hours a day on video games was associated with increased mental problems for girls and boys.
The research also found that playing trigger-happy video games was directly linked to aggressive behaviors and decreased sense of empathy among immature respondents. However, the link between video games and violent beliefs remains a controversial subject. The tardily Supreme Courtroom Justice Antonin Scalia, for one, wrote in 2012 that studies showing a link between games and assailment were unpersuasive.
"These studies take been rejected by every court to consider them, and with expert reason: They practice not testify that trigger-happy video games cause minors to act aggressively," Scalia wrote in a decision clarifying that video games were protected nether the 1st Amendment.
Emily Tillett
mccombieclact1949.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gun-control-laws-what-is-federal-government-doing-gun-safety-legislation-after-mass-shootings-trump-address-today/
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