In only a few days, two mass shootings have hit the national headlines -- one killing 8 people in the Atlanta (Georgia) area, and the other killing 10 people in Boulder (Colorado). By watching the national news, a person might get the idea that these horrible tragedies are outliers -- unusual occurrences that don't normally happen in this country. Nothing could be faster from the truth!
Sadly, while these two tragedies made national headlines, they are not out-of-the-ordinary in the United States. As the Gun Violence Archive shows, there have actually been 103 mass shootings in the United States in 2021. They define a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot.
That's an average of more than one mass shooting for each day of the year. And its the third straight year that the average of mass shootings is more than one per day. There were 417 mass shootings in 2019, and 611 mass shootings in 2020.
In addition, there have been around 40,000 gun deaths in the United States in the last two years -- 39,530 in 2019 and 43,536 in 2020. And in the less than three months of 2021, there have already been 9,539 gun deaths.
Gun violence is truly an epidemic in the United States. The reason is that there are too many guns in this country, and they are too easy for anyone to get -- even criminals, terrorists, and other people known to be dangerous.
Recently, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed two bills to close the loopholes in the background check law for those purchasing a gun. These are the bills:
H.R. 8, passed by the House on March 11, seeks to extend the background check requirements to almost all gun transfers, including those between private parties. It would require firearms transfers between private parties to be handled by a licensed firearms dealer, who would take possession of the firearm while the background check is being conducted.
There are several exceptions to the policy, such as loans or gifts between family members and temporary transfers to people in situations of self-defense or at a shooting range.
H.R. 1446 would increase the window to conduct a background check to a minimum of 10 business days. If the background check still remains incomplete after 10 days, the purchaser can submit a petition for a final determination. If another 10 days pass without a decision, the firearms can then be transferred to the prospective purchaser.
These bills do not violate the Constitution, and would not prevent any honest and law-abiding citizen from purchasing or owning a firearm. All they would do is help to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. It would not prevent all gun deaths in the U.S., but it would likely reduce them (perhaps significantly).
These two bills now sit in the United States Senate. While Majority Leader Schumer says they will be brought to the floor for debate and a vote, that is unlikely to happen. That's because it's very likely to be filibustered by a Republican. Are there 10 honest Republicans who will join Democrats and end the filibuster? Probably NOT!
These bills would be the least things Congress could do to save some American lives, but they will probably die without being voted on in the Senate. I hope I'm wrong about that, but recent years have shown that's what will happen.
By doing nothing, Congress has the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands.
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