Which gun control measures are gaining momentum in Congress? (+video)
Bipartisan support is evident for universal background checks, stricter laws against gun trafficking, and limits on high-capacity magazines. But consensus in the GOP-controlled House will depend on what the Senate accomplishes.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of California (l.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York confer before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence in January. Certain gun measures are gaining bipartisan support in Congress, including broader use of background checks of prospective gun buyers.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Are specific gun-control measures beginning to build momentum in Congress? Key lawmakers in recent comments have indicated that’s the case. For instance, Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona on Sunday said many senators are lining up behind a bipartisan plan whose centerpiece is an expansion of background checks on gun purchasers.
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Washington Editor
Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.
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“I think that most of us will be able to support” that package, said Senator McCain on NBC’s "Meet the Press."
Background checks have long been seen as a sweet spot in the gun debate that could draw both Republican and Democratic votes, but McCain’s tacit endorsement is still a “key moment,” writes liberal-leaning Greg Sargent in his Plum Line Washington Post blog.
The bipartisan group that’s pulling the plan together includes Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a key pro-gun Democrat, and conservative GOP Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Mr. Sargent notes. It would include expanded sharing of data on mental illness and likely have some sort of provision ensuring that the checks don’t lead to a national registry of gun owners.
“Having Coburn and Manchin bless such a proposal would give it a major boost, even among GOP lawmakers inclined to robotically do whatever the NRA [National Rifle Association] tells them to do,” he writes.
This doesn’t mean the plan is tied up with ribbon and a bow; another member of the bipartisan effort, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) of New York, added on Sunday that the group has made good progress but still has some hard issues to resolve.
“Guns [are] a very difficult issue,” said Senator Schumer on CNN’s "State of the Union."
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