Democrats Might Torpedo Gun Control Bill, Because It’s Popular and Just Might Work

Have you ever seen a piece of gun control legislation that could actually get passed?  It’s like seeing a unicorn or Sasquatch, but the “Fix NICS Act” might just work.  The act seeks to “strengthen background checks by penalizing federal agencies that fail to forward criminal records to the FBI to update the National Instant Criminal Background Check system”…  and Town Hall explains that bipartisan support exists for this legislation.

Great news, right?  Not so fast.  As with all things in Washington, D.C., there’s a political angle that just might mess everything up. “It could pass, but Democrats could torpedo it, despite strong support from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a key gun control advocate. Why? Well, because if this passes, that would be the end of the legislative offensive on gun rights. Oh, and they might want to use this for the 2018 midterms.”

Wait, what? If the Democrats won’t pass the FixNics bill, because it’s effective and people of both parties support it? Despicable.  Here’s more from the WaPo:

Even though one of their own is co-sponsoring the Fix NICS Act, which would punish federal agencies that don’t submit criminal records to the national criminal background check system for firearms, Senate Democrats have spent their first few days back in Congress this week dissing the bill.

“What will prevent future tragedy? Comprehensive background checks will. The Fix NICS bill will not,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday on the Senate floor. “Let’s not set our sights too narrow or squander this moment.”

It’s not that Democrats don’t want to patch up what both sides say are obvious holes in the background-check system; it’s that they think this is a small step to reinforce an existing law rather than expand it. And if they support it, that might be the end of gun control reforms in this Congress, since Republicans will be reluctant to act on much else.

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There is no such bill circulating after the massacre at a Parkland, Fla., high school. The lack of viable gun-control legislation in Congress right now is also precisely why Democrats feel pressured to resist this incremental step.

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Democrats are fully aware that this vote is their only point of leverage in the debate, so they’ve got to play hardball to try to extract as much as they can from it. The Post’s Ed O’Keefe reports they’re also working with gun-control groups to find a way to politicize this whole issue to their advantage in November’s midterm elections.

It’s difficult to see another gun-control measure coming up for a vote right now.

I understand playing “politics,” but not with the lives of innocent people.  How low will they go?  Please, God. Not this low.

If Democrats reject this bill, they are voting to allow mass shootings… straight up.

Hat Tip: TownHall